Separatists, Ukrainians continue to exchange gunfire
2016-03-22
Posted by: badanov
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By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Separatist forces in Donetsk and Lugansk fired on Ukrainian forces 32 times over a 24 hour period, charged Ukrainian military officials, according to Russian language news accounts.
Meanwhile, rebel military officials say that Ukrainian forces have hit their positions 43 times over a 24 hour period.
According to a news account which appeared in korrespondent.net, rebel forces in Donetsk fired on Ukrainian positions in Avdievka, Opytnoye, Peski and Marinka, all near western districts of Donetsk city. Weapons used by rebel forces included 125mm tank guns, grenade launchers, sniper and machine gun fire.
In Lugansk, Ukrainian military officials said that rebels fired on Svetlodarsk, Trehizbenki and at Novotroitskoye using 82mm mortar fire, grenade launchers and small arms fire.
According to official rebel news accounts, Ukrainian forces hammered rebel positions at the Donetsk airport and at Spartak using 120mm and 82mm mortars fire.
A separate rebel news release said that Ukrainians also hit rebel targets in western districts of Donetsk city including Petrovsky district and at Trudovskoy.
Further west, Ukrainian artillery hit rebel targets near Peski, Opytnoye and at Marinka.
Continuing fighting at Yasinovataya
According to a news account by a Donetsk separatist fighter identified as Ruslan Lyapin, fighting continues near Yasinovataya, the battle now entering its third week.
According to Lyapin, Ukrainian forces are hitting dug in rebel troops with everything they have, including 122mm artillery grenade launchers, mortars and 30mm autocannon fire trying to overrun those positions, only to be driven back.
Rebel media refuses to discuss their casualties in the battle and Ukrainian media barely acknowledges fighting near Yasinovataya. Other news reports say Ukrainian forces have lost seven effectives and 14 wounded in the fighting over the last three days, which is a number this writer has read on other publications as well.
Lugansk
According to a news report which appeared in regnum.ru, Ukrainian artillery struck at rebel positions in Slavyanoserbsk and Krasny Liman.
According to Lugansk official Andrei Marochko, forces belonging to the Ukrainian 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade near Boguslavsky Popasnyansky, were reinforced with six tanks and eight infantry fighting vehicles.
Donetsk military officials claim that the Right Sektor staffed Azov Regiment recently moved a motorized rifle company out of Mariupol in southern Donetsk to Vinogradoye, including 10 to 12 armored personnel carriers.
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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