Rebels in eastern Ukraine appear to be successfully closing in on the government-held airport of Donetsk, a strategic victory for the pro-Russian separatists that further undermines a shaky cease-fire in the region. At least 10 people were killed on Wednesday when shells hit a school playground and a mini van in a nearby street in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, city authorities and Reuters witnesses said.
Developments in Ukraine - Wednesday, October 1, 2014
![A view of a classroom of school No. 57 damaged by recent shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/36dccf7d-8350-45f0-bccc-1fcfa1bc31dd_cx0_cy6_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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A view of a classroom of school No. 57 damaged by recent shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.
![A local woman cries in front of a damaged school after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/0ab9e390-f7d6-4aad-b574-433c0d1a41c0_cx0_cy4_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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A local woman cries in front of a damaged school after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.
![Parents and a pupil hide in a school basement used as a shelter after recent shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/f96ec697-a5f0-4a38-bfa3-71e1b25fb46c_cx0_cy9_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Parents and a pupil hide in a school basement used as a shelter after recent shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.
![Smoke rises over a residential neighborhood near the airport after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/0f52da2e-6ef3-4a3f-b08d-25e32293992f_cx0_cy4_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Smoke rises over a residential neighborhood near the airport after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Oct. 1, 2014.