Syria's "hell on earth" still rains bombs despite Putin's orders

Fierce fighting continued in Eastern Ghouta, a rebel stronghold described as "hell on earth" in Syria, during the first effective period on February 27 of a daily five-hour ceasefire announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Activists say government air strikes are continuing, while Russia says rebels have shelled a "humanitarian corridor" set up to allow civilians to evacuate. As a result, no evacuations or UN aid deliveries have been allowed.

Some 393,000 people are currently trapped in Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus. The rebel-held strip of land has been besieged by government forces since 2013.

More than 500 people have been killed since the government intensified its bombing campaign nine days ago in an effort to retake eastern Ghouta, medics said. At least six people died on February 27, two of them during the first five-hour ceasefire, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said rebels in Eastern Ghouta "continued shelling" during the ceasefire, including attacks on government positions.

As the ceasefire collapsed, France and Britain called on Russia to use its influence with President Bashar al-Assad to secure a 30-day ceasefire across Syria, as requested by the UN Security Council last weekend.

"Russia is one of the only actors that can force the (Syrian) regime to implement the resolution," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, BBC reported. British Foreign Secretary Alan Duncan also gave a similar message to the Russian ambassador in London.

At the request of President Putin, a daily five-hour ceasefire will be imposed from 9am starting February 27.

The breaches mean humanitarian workers cannot enter Eastern Ghouta, and medical evacuations are also impossible. The World Health Organization says it has a list of more than 1,000 seriously ill and injured people in urgent need of evacuation.

There were also numerous violations in the first five hours of the ceasefire, including airstrikes by government warplanes and helicopters, according to SOHR.

Meanwhile, Syria's state-run Sana news agency reported that "terrorists" had fired at the humanitarian corridor leading to the government-controlled al-Wafideen security checkpoint northeast of Douma and used "human shields".

Images of the tragic war in Ghouta, Syria

(Baonghean.vn) - The escalating fighting in Ghouta has left at least 417 people dead and hundreds more injured. Below are tragic images from the "hell on earth" Ghouta (Syria).

President Putin issues humanitarian decree to save “hell on earth” in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a daily five-hour ceasefire to create a “humanitarian corridor” for Syrians in the “hell on earth” of Eastern Ghouta after attacks that have killed hundreds.