after being surrounded , and again in February 2015 in Debaltseve , on a key highway between Donetsk and Luhansk . The battles dealt devastating blows to the Ukrainian military , in terms of human lives and morale , and bolstered the confidence of the Russia - backed separatists . Russia and the separatists , meanwhile , may have their own motives for escalating the fighting now -- and their own reasons not to take it too far .
( CNN ) When comparing yourself to world leaders or historical figures , there are perhaps less controversial choices than Adolf Hitler . Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday likened himself to the Nazi leader , saying he wants to kill millions of drug addicts , just as Hitler killed Jews during the Holocaust . " Hitler massacredconflict.attack.selfdirectedbattle3 million Jews . Now there is 3 million , what is it , 3 million drug addicts ( in the Philippines ) , there are , " he said in a speech in his hometown of Davao City . " I 'd be happy to slaughter them .
Al - Qaeda ? Hezbollah ? The Iranian and Syrian forces who massacredconflict.attack.selfdirectedbattlehundreds of thousands of people ? ” The ministry said the UN was was “ ignoring the reality ” in Syria when it rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s recent assertion that the Golan Heights would “ forever ” remain under Israeli control . “ In the face of the war raging in Syria and the security and stability that Israel has built in the Golan in the past 50 years , the suggestion that Israel withdraw from the Golan is unreasonable , ” said the ministry .
President Obama on Friday marked the anniversary of the Ottoman Turks’ massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 but once again stopped short of labeling it a genocide . “ Today we solemnly reflect on the first mass atrocity of the 20th century — the Armenian Meds Yeghern — when one and a half million Armenian people were deported , massacredlife.die.deathcausedbyviolentevents, and marched to their deaths , ” he said in a statement . ADVERTISEMENT The statement came on the final Armenian Remembrance Day of Obama 's presidency .