37 civilians die in shelling in Donetsk and Lugansk
2014-08-17
Posted by: badanov
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A total of 37 civilians were killed Thursday in air and artillery strikes in the contested Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Lugansk, according to a report posted on the online edition of Voice of Sevastopol.
According to those reports Ukrainian forces have been using medium and heavy rocket artillery systems, such as the BM-21 122mm rocket launcher and the 300mm rocket launcher system known by its moniker Smerch, or death, targeting industrial as well as civilian areas.
A total of 20 civilians were killed in one artillery strike in Lugansk when the fire missions hit in various locations.
Several artillery strikes were recorded in Donetsk including Zugres, the power plant near Zuyevsk, at the school, on the children's beach and on the city stadium. Those strikes resulted in 15 dead and 19 wounded. According to the report, two children were among the dead.
Howitzer artillery strikes hit the Budyonovskiy, Kuibyshevskiy, Leninskiy, Petrovsky and Kievskiy districts of Donetsk, but no specific death or injury tolls were reported. The report said people were killed, however. Reports say in at least one mission, white phosphorus rounds were used.
Russian nationalist forces counterattacked against Ukrainian forces in the area of Gorlovka, which is northeast of Donetsk and near Krasnii Luch, which is east. In Krasnii Luch Ukrainian forces have been trying for going on ten days to cut the lines of communication between Lugansk and Donetsk. Torez, Shakhtyorsk, Snezhnoye and Miusinsk continue to be held by Russian nationalist forces.
Those several areas which Russian nationalists hold also contain Ukrainian military formations which are unable to move or fight, but Russia nationalist forces are unable to liquidate the pockets, due to a lack of forces.
Friday, August 15th
According to reports, remnants of the Ukrainian 30th Mechanized Rifle Brigade are close to surrendering to Russian nationalist forces.
The unit had been surrounded a few days ago near Krasnii Luch. Media reports had it that soldiers of the formation reported all heavy equipment lost along with provisions.
Another smaller formation, the battalion "Gorin" deployed near the border with Russia is reportedly nearly complete destroyed as well.
Yet another Ukrainian police unit, the battalion "Aydar" encircled immediately south of Lugansk is reportedly down to 30 percent of establishment, and facing attack from three sides.
According to data, Ukrainian forces now control Chernukhino, Bulavinskoye in the Luhansk region and Aleksandrovskoye in the Donetsk region, while Russian nationalists have taken Zimogorye and Rodakovo in Lugansk.
As reported two days ago, Ukrainian tanks overran the airport in Lugansk and now control the village of Novosvetlovka. That position effectively blocks the road linking Lugansk to Russia. Russian nationalists said the Ukrainians took the action in order to starve residents in Dontesk and Lugansk.
The block at Novosvetlovka is not considered significant because Russian nationalist commanders estimate that the Ukrainian army has about 40,000 effectives in the ring surrounding the two cities, perhaps enough to encircle the cities but not enough to take either one by storm.
Little information is available about the humanitarian convoy which entered Ukraina Friday. The Ukrainian government's contention that its forces destroyed a large armor formation by artillery has been dismissed by Russian nationalist commanders, who have demanded proof in the form of photos or videos.
Says one report: "According to the journalist Nikolay Vasergov, the militia in Krasnodon had a lot of fun discussing this pleasant-for-Kiev news. To all appearance, the Russian tanks should have followed right through this city. Amazingly, nobody noticed them."
Russian nationalists claim that whatever Ukrainian forces destroyed was likely the humanitarian convoy. A separate report in Voice of Sevastopol said that a militia group captured an intelligence unit of the Ukrainian National Guard which was alleged to be preparing an attack on the Russian convoy.
Russian nationalists claim that 11 civilians were killed in shelling in Donetsk, while three were killed in Gorlovka.
Chris Covert writes news for Rantburg.com
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