REUTERS

"For example, pro-Ukrainian graffiti such as ‘Donbas is Ukraine’ are appearing in prominent places in Torez almost every night. The same thing is happening in Horlivka, where inscriptions with unflattering characterizations of Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly appear on the walls of homes," Tymchuk wrote.

Both these towns are under the control of Russian-backed insurgents, who have introduced a curfew, under which patrols of militants can open fire without warning after dark.