Artillery firing intensifies in Donetsk, Lugansk
2014-11-06
Posted by: badanov
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By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Artillery exchanges between pro Russian Donbas rebels and Ukrainian military units in several locations in southeast Ukraina have killed a number of civilians, according to Russian language press reports.
Several news outlets detail increased artillery fire missions inside Donetsk city itself where one strike killed two and wounded three youths as they were playing soccer just before school.
According to Igor Strelkov (Igor Girkin) on a VKontacte (Russian Facebook) posting, an artillery strike, reportedly from Ukrainian artillery units hit at a school in northern Donetsk city killing two and wounding four others. One of the dead was said to be an 11 year old male. Other Donbas militia reports say as many as 12 civilians were killed in Tuesday's artillery strikes across the entire region.
Donbas rebels report that artillery fire has increased coming from Peski, southwest of the Donetsk airport and from Avdeyevka to the northeast. Both locations have Ukrainian artillery units and both locations are being used to support Ukrainian defensive operations at the Donetsk airport. Donbas rebels have attempted repeatedly to take the final building at the airport, the terminal, with little success.
Russian military analysts have pointed out that unless and until the supporting forces at Avdeyevka and Peski are eliminated -- or forced back -- the Ukrainian occupation at the airport will continue, as will artillery strikes inside Donetsk city itself.
Donbas rebels say their counterbattery artillery fire destroyed four Ukrainian artillery pieces in Donetsk city.
Elsewhere, artillery and small units battles have started up again in three other locations in the region.
At Mariupol, Donbas rebels claim that they have eliminated a number of Ukrainian checkpoints leading into the city, this after a previous report by Russian military journalist Dmitri Steshin claimed Mairupol had been virtually abandoned.
Monday Ukrainian president Piotr Poroshenko announced that reinforcements were being sent to Mariupol, so it is unclear how accurate Steshin's reports were.
According to a post from Strelkov's VKontacte page, small units battles were reported in locations north of Mariupol, including at Volnovakha. Ukrainian small arms fire were reported at Novoazovsk, which is near the Russian border. Ukrainian mortar attacks were also reported there.
According to a news account in regnum.ru, small arms exchanges were reported at Mikhailovka and Avdeyevkan around Donetsk city.
Northwest of Lugansk, Donbas militias report that a Ukrainian police unit about the size of a rifle company is surrounded near Frunze, near Checkpoint 31. A number of skirmishes between Donbas rebels and Ukrainian military units have been recorded since last week, but apparently these are the most intensive engagements to date.
The area in contention is directly west of Schastye, yet another location that Donbas rebels have failed to capture since September. Both sides are using artillery against the other as Donbas rebels push slowly the take the Northern Donetsk River crossing. Schastye is located behind the river line, and has presented a challenge since the Ukrainian units abandoned Lugansk in late August.
Also Donbas rebels have reported that a large armor column consisting mainly of BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, supply trucks and five BM-21 Grad rocket artillery launchers were reported near Lisicansk heading towards Lugansk city. That area is also near where Checkpoint 31 is, and may represent at least some of the forces the Ukrainian could use to relieve the police unit.
Donbas rebels also say that a number of small unit fights and artillery strikes were reported all along the Northern Donetsk River.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
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