Artillery battles in Yasinovataya continue
2016-03-25
Posted by: badanov
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Russian backed rebels and Ukrainian ground forces continued to exchange artillery in Yasinovataya Wednesday night and into Thursday night according to Russian language news accounts.
According to an official new release by the rebel Donetsk ministry of defense, Ukrainian forces have been hitting rebel troops dug in near a road junction southwest of Gorlovka in night and daytime attacks.
Ukrainian heavy mortars firing from nearby Avdievka hit rebel positions for about five minutes Thursday afternoon.
That night Ukrainian mortar fire hit rebel positions in Spartak, Zhabichevo, which is on the northern outskirts of Donetsk, western districts of Donetsk city and the village Mikhailovka, south of Gorlovka.
On Thursday, Ukrainian artillery fire continued in locations near Donetsk city, including at Yasinovataya. Additional rebel positions were hit in Staromykhailivka, Spartak, Zhabunki, near the Donetsk airport, the western outskirts of Donetsk and Makeyevka.
In the south rebel media reported Ukrainian artillery hitting positions at Dokuchaevsk, Sahanka and Kominternovo.
Ukrainian media say that rebel artillery are hitting their positions near Donetsk city, specifically in Avdievka, Opytnoye, and near Zaitsevo, which is north of Gorlovka.
According to a news account which appeared in tsensor.net.ua, rebel forces attempted to oust Ukrainian forces from positions at Novotroitskoye by direct assault, but were repelled. According to the report, rebel forces identified as the Donetsk 5 Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, 1st Battalion were involved.
A separate attack by rebel forces was recorded around Yasinovataya on Thursday. According to a separate article, rebels hit Ukrainian positions near Yasinovataya as they carried out force rotation in the area.
Ukrainian media charges that rebel forces have moved and are using heavy 152mm artillery in the area.
A report on the Facebook page of the Ukrainian Come Back Alive Project said that a rebel artillery observer panicked and managed to call in an artillery mission on his own position Wednesday night.
A Ukrainian journalist said that despite their repeated attempts to dislodge Ukrainian forces from the area near the crossroads, Ukrainian forces have the road that connects Donetsk to Gorlovka cut off.
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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