Donetsk: the calm before the storm

The eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk is going through an unusual period of peace and silence after the bloody battle at the airport from the start of the week.

However, many fear that this is nothing more than the calm before the storm and that government troops are on their way to launch another violent attack.

With that in mind, the pro-Russian rebels in the area have been reinforcing the combat zones for two days now and are not letting their guards down.

'I’m afraid of everything that’s happening. I have survived one war already. That was enough for me,' said one elderly local woman.

Earlier today, approximately 1,000 miners marched through the streets of the city, demanding that the government troops be removed from the area: 'This protest is against the so called anti-terrorist operation. In fact, its an anti-people operation which kills people. Civilians are suffering. There are no separatists here only the people of Donbass,' said one of the miners.

Rebel leaders in Donetsk reported that as many as 50 of their men had died on Monday and Tuesday during the bloody airport battle, when government forces launched several air strikes in order to regain control of the facility.

The result was that the airport was destroyed and bodies of both rebels and civilians kept piling up in the city's morgue.