Artillery, small arms fire continues in Donetsk
2016-02-21
Posted by: badanov
Both sides in this civil war continue to exchange artillery and small arms fire despite a ceasefire, according to Russian language news accounts.
According to the Donetsk ministry of defnese in a news release, Ukrainian military units fired on Russian backed separatists 50 times in the last 24 hours, using mortar, RPG and small arms fire. The report said that Ukrainian fire appeared to come from Opytnoye and western sectors of Donetsk city.
Ukrainian official sources said that the separatists have violated the ceasefire 24 times, firing 82mm mortars and small arms fire at their positions in Krasnogorovka, Peski and Marinka.
According to official Ukrainian reports, Ukrainian troops caught and turned back a separatist probe in Lugansk near Mayorsk and Zaisteyo.
Intense Gun Battles in Gorlovka
According to two separate news reports posted in Russian reserve FSB Colonel Igor Girkin news website, novorusinform.org, long lastly intensive artillery and small arms duels have been taking place over the last 24 hours in Gorlovka, which is north of Donetsk city.
Quoting reports from unidentified local militants, the shooting near Gorlovka began at 1900 hrs Saturday and continued intermittently for nearly three hours. Weapons the militants said were used included mortar fire, tank gunfire and small arms fire. Much of the shooting emanated from Dzherzinsk, which is less than a kilometer from the western outskirts of Gorlovka.
The same article said that fire fights took place in northern Lugansk as well.
A second article said that Ukrainian forces fired on several rebel held areas including Spartak, the airport and western districts of Donetsk city.
Ukrainian press has not described any rebel counterfire in Gorlovka in their news reports, official or not.
Col. Girkin was the main Russian operative in the Russian takeover in Crimea and a major factor in the early stages of the civil war in southeastern Ukraine.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com and on Twitter. You can read past articles about the 2014 war in southeastern Ukraine by clicking here.
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