Russia Ukraine war, page-62769

The Battle of Ilovaisk[c] started on 7 August 2014, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine and pro-Ukrainian paramilitaries began a series of attempts to capture the city of Ilovaisk from pro-Russian insurgents affiliated with the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and detachments of the Russian Armed Forces.[6][29][30] Although Ukrainian forces were able to enter the city on 18 August,[31] they were encircled between 24 and 26 August by overwhelming Russian military forces that crossed the border, joining the battle.[32][33]After days of encirclement, Ukrainian commander Yuriy Bereza came to an agreement with Russian commanders in Ilovaisk to allow Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the city.[34] However, this agreement was not honored by the Russian side who opened fire on the evacuating Ukrainian soldiers, many of whom died whilst trying to escape.[11][35]