Civil war in Ukraine: News & discussion

[Hindustani78]

http://indianexpress.com/article/wo...o-order-russia-to-stop-aiding-rebels-4557266/

Ukraine asked the United Nations’ highest court on Monday to order Russia to stop funding and equipping pro-Russian separatists, at the start of a hearing where it hopes to prove Moscow is breaking international law. Russia denies sending troops or military equipment to eastern Ukraine and is expected to challenge the basis of the case Ukraine has launched at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

“Today I stand before the World Court to request protection of the basic human rights of Ukrainian people,” Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Olena Zerkal said on the first of four days of hearings. Zerkal requested an immediate court order to stop what she called Russia’s abuses until the judges have heard the case in full. The UN court takes years to hear cases. Although its rulings are final and binding, it has no means of enforcement.

Zerkal’s request for so-called provisional measures, included a halt of transfers of money, weapons, vehicles, equipment, training or personnel to pro-Russian separatists fighting Ukrainian government forces. “Russian Federation tactics include support for terrorism and acts of racial discrimination, as well as propaganda, subversion, intimidation, political corruption and cyber attacks,” she told the judges, citing new attacks in recent weeks..

Ukraine says in its filing that the pro-Russian separatists were responsible for the bombardment of residential areas and the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in July 2014 that killed 298 passengers and crew.

In September 2016, a six-country investigative team led by the Netherlands said the plane had been shot down with a Russian-manufactured Buk surface-to-air missile from an area controlled by pro-Russian forces. Russia has dismissed the findings as biased and politically motivated.

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https://www.unian.info/war/1810086-ukraine-reports-5-wias-in-donbas-in-last-day.html
Five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in eastern Ukraine in the last 24 hours, speaker for the ATO at Ukraine's Defense Ministry Andriy Lysenko told a briefing, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

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Ukrainian Deputy Minister for temporarily occupied territory and internally displaced people George Tuka says a "warlord" of the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic" ("LPR") terrorist organization, a Russian mercenary, nom-de-guerre 'Plastun,' has been killed in the Donbas conflict zone.


The terrorist headed an "LPR" unit and was a popular "character" of Russian propaganda. In 2014, he was wounded near the village of Khriaschuvate in Luhansk region. The "LPR" terrorist organization in turn confirmed his death on social networks.

Earlier, media reported about the killing of Vitaliy Kiselyov, aka "Communist," an "LPR" terrorist leader who was commander deputy of the so-called "people's militia." Kiselyov and some other members of the "LPR" leaders were accused by the "local prosecutors" of an attempted coup, according to the Russian online newspaper gazeta.ru.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/407411.html
"During the meeting the Ombudsmen focused on the issue of implementation of the previous agreements of the parties, in particular, the movement of the Ukrainian citizens, who are serving their sentences in the territory of Crimea, to other institutions for further punishment in the territory of the mainland of Ukraine," the press-service of the Ukrainian Ombudsman said on Monday.

The ministry reminded that during a meeting in June 2016 ombudsmen of Ukraine and Russia agreed to move 18 prisoners from detention facilities of Crimea to mainland Ukraine to further serve their sentences.

"Lutkovska and Moskalkova during their meeting discussed the ways of early technical implementation of previous agreements of such transfers. They reviewed the implementation of procedures for moving by the relevant government authorities of both countries, and the like. The Ombudsmen of Ukraine and the Russian Federation reported that the said movement will occur in the near future," a statement says.

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March 06, 2017

22:07
Some 400 Russian citizens jailed in Ukraine - ombudsman

22:05
Transfer of Ukrainian inmates from Crimean prisons requires Russian authorities' decision - ombudsman

20:05
Hundreds of Ukrainians still missing, captured in Donbas, Kyiv says

19:44
One Ukrainian serviceman killed in Donbas, Kyiv says

18:31
DPR reports fire at Ukrainian-controlled Avdiivka coke and chemical plant

16:34
DPR, LPR start shipping coal to Russia instead of Ukraine

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.unian.info/war/1811496-...tacks-4-wias-1-kia-in-donbas-in-last-day.html

Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 122 times in the past 24 hours with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and four as wounded in action (WIA), according to the press service of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters.

"In the Mariupol sector, the occupiers opened fire from tanks on the villages of Vodiane and Lebedynske. Vodiane also came under artillery fire. Mortars of various calibers, grenade launchers, anti-tank missile systems and small arms were used to shell the town of Krasnohorivka, and the villages of Hnutove, Novotroyitske, Pavlopil, Vodiane, Novohryhorivka, and Shyrokyne. The enemy also fired mortars on the villages of Hnutove, Chermalyk, Talakivka, Pavlopil, and Vodiane. Additionally, the villages of Berezove, Vodiane and Shyrokyne came under sniper fire and fire from infantry fighting vehicles," the report says.

In the Donetsk sector, the Russian occupation forces used mortars of various calibers to attack the town of Avdiyivka, and the villages of Maiorsk, Troyitske, Verkhniotoretske, Novhorodske, and Pisky. Grenade launchers and small arms were used to fire on the villages of Sieverne, Pisky, Zaitseve, Verkhniotoretske, Kamianka, and Nevelske. Moreover, a sniper was active in Kamianka. Furthermore, the enemy used infantry fighting vehicles to attack the village of Luhanske.

"In the Luhansk sector, the invaders repeatedly used 152mm artillery systems to shell the village of Krymske, and mortars of various calibers to fire on the town of Popasna, and the villages of Novo-Oleksandrivka, Novotoshkivske, Krymske, Troyitske, and Orikhove," the headquarters said.

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https://www.unian.info/war/1811742-ukrainian-right-sector-volunteer-aka-staryi-killed-in-donbas.html

A volunteer of the Right Sector military organization, nom de guerre Staryi, has been killed in Donbas when performing a combat mission.

"...when performing a combat mission, our brother, our old friend Staryi, has been killed at the forefront in Donetsk region. He has been one of the best fighters, he has spent almost a year in the combat zone, being a disciplined and seasoned warrior, but at the same time, he was always smiling, joking and raising the spirits of his brothers in arms, taking care of them. Being at war, he has never forgotten about his family," the press service of the 1st separate assault unit of the Right Sector organization wrote on Facebook.


As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 122 times in the past 24 hours with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action and four as wounded in action.

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[Hindustani78]

https://www.unian.info/economics/18...nk-over-servicing-holders-of-lpr-dpr-ids.html

Minister of the Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov in a harsh statement published on Facebook wrote that Sberbank of Russia in Ukraine has greenlighted services for its clients, owners of non-recognized "passports" issued by the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk "people's republics."

"Sberbank of Russia must stop its operations in Ukraine" Let them enjoy 'financial paradise,' according to the laws of self-styled DPR and LPR," Avakov wrote.

At the same time, the minister stressed the need for the National Bank of Ukraine to respond to such a move by Sberbank, and introduce sanctions.

"The bank [Sberbank] supports actions beyond the framework of international law. The bank that supports the recognition of travel documents of puppet regimes and the annexation of Ukrainian territories, condemned by the international community, cannot work in Ukraine!" wrote the interior minister.

Avakov added that such actions evidence the fact that Sberbank supports the illegal regimes of "LPR" and "DNR."

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[Hindustani78]

https://www.unian.info/war/1813692-ukraine-reports-108-enemy-shellings-in-past-24-hours.html
08 March 2017


Over the past day, March 7, Donbas terrorists shelled 108 times the Ukrainian positions in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation, leaving four Ukrainian soldiers wounded and another three injured, that’s according to a daily report by the ATO Headquarters press center.

"On the Donetsk line, the occupiers fired from 122-mm artillery at our positions in the area of Zaitseve. Mortars of various calibers were shot at Severne, Butivka mine, Luhanske, Avdiyivka, Zaitseve, and Verkhnetoretske. Luhanske, Kamenka, Troitske, and Peski were shelled from grenade launchers and shot at from small arms. Pisky was fired on from an enemy infantry fighting vehicle. A sniper was active near Novoselovka," the report reads.


In the Mariupol direction, the militants repeatedly fired from the artillery systems on Talakivka and Taramchuk. Tanks fired at Shyrokine, and mortars of various calibers were repeatedly fired at Krasnohorivka, Pavlopil, Vodiane, Maryinka, and Talakivka. Grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms were used against Berezove, Novotroitske, Vodiane, Hnutove, Pavlopil, Maryinka, and Shyrokine. Shyrokine was also shelled from anti-aircraft weaponry.

On the Luhansk line, the positions of the Ukrainian forces in Krymske were fired on from 122mm artillery. The enemy mortared Malinove, Orekhove, Novo-oleksandrivka, Krymskem, and Novotoshkovske. ATGMs were fired on Novotoshkovske. The invaders shot small arms on Novo-oleksandrivka and Novozvanivka. A sniper was active outside the village of Luhanske.

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11:44
LPR reports 11 Ukrainian army shell attacks in past 24 hours

11:30
ICRC head plans to discuss Donbas mission expansion with Kyiv, DPR, LPR representatives

21:44
Ukrainian military report shelling in country's east

19:39
Ukrainian military report death of combatant in Donbas, DPR states injury of 2 civilians

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.unian.info/politics/181...ators-of-russias-arms-supplies-to-donbas.html

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin during his two-day Washington visit attended a Tuesday hearing "On Russian Policies and Intentions Toward Specific European Countries" at the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Klimkin emphasized that Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine translates into a shocking amount of Russian weaponry "pumped into the occupied Donbas and Crimea."

"It's now about 4,200 regular troops and up to 40,000 militants, it’s about more than 400 tanks and 800 armored vehicles; it's up to 1,000 artillery systems and over 200 multiple rocket launchers; around 23,000 troops in the occupied Crimea," Klimkin said.


He also recalled how a Russian agent in the International Court of Justice had made a "completely ridiculous statement that the Russian-backed militants actually discovered all that weaponry being hidden in the old Soviet coal mines." "Can anyone believe it?"

Ukraine's top diplomat exclaimed. Also, the minister noted that the Kremlin's war against Ukraine over the past three years has led to over 7% of the country’s territory being occupied, over 10,000 Ukrainians – both military and civilians – losing their lives, with more than 23,000 being injured.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia's agent at the ICJ Ilya Rogachev on Tuesday rejected Ukraine's accusations of sponsoring terrorism in the east of Ukraine and supplying weapons to fighters of the self-proclaimed republics in Donbas, explaining that the weapons had been seized from the Ukrainian army and from former Soviet army storage sites built in coal mines in Ukrainian territory.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ukraine Crisis Media Center has published infographics on Russian military presence in eastern Ukraine in 2014-2015.

An infographic identifies the units of the Russian Armed Forces that fought against Ukrainian defenders in the territory of eastern Ukraine in 2014-2015. The publication comes against the background of the launched hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in a Ukraine vs. Russia case.

"Ukraine is ready to prove that the Russian Federation continues to violate international law, abuses human rights and supplies deadly assistance to illegal armed groups in Ukraine that have committed numerous terrorist attacks," reads the report.

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https://www.unian.info/war/1814481-...s-on-its-positions-in-donbas-in-last-day.html

Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 69 times in the past 24 hours, according to the press service of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters.

"The town of Maryinka, and the villages of Chermalyk and Pavlopil in the Mariupol sector came under mortar fire, while grenade launchers were used to attack the villages of Vodiane and Hnutove. The enemy also used grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms to fire on the villages of Lebedynske, Pavlopil, Novohryhorivka, Hnutove, and Shyrokyne. Additionally, Shyrokyne, Vodiane and Hnutove were attacked by infantry fighting vehicles. Furthermore, a sniper was active in the village of Novotroyitske," the report says.

In the Donetsk sector, the invaders repeatedly used banned 122mm artillery systems to shell the village of Zaitseve. "The town of Avdiyivka, and the villages of Verkhniotoretske, Maiorsk, Novhorodske, and Luhanske came under mortar fire, while grenade launchers and heavy machine guns were used to shell the villages of Verkhniotoretske, Pisky, Nevelske, Kamianka, Novoluhanske, Novhorodske, Troyitske, and Zaitseve. Moreover, Zaitseve and Novhorodske came under sniper fire," the headquarters said.

In the Luhansk sector, the occupiers used banned 120mm mortars to shell the town of Popasna, and the villages of Novo-Oleksandrivka and Troyitske, as well as small arms were fired on the villages of Krymske and Stanytsia Luhanska.

"Being on duty at the forefront yesterday, our servicemen spotted an enemy sniper group. One sniper was killed," the report said.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/407750.html

Seven Ukrainian servicemen suffered injuries and traumas in the military operation zone in Donbas in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko said on Wednesday.

"No Ukrainian serviceman was killed, but seven combatants suffered injuries and traumas in hostilities in the past 24 hours," Lysenko said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

The militants have shelled Ukrainian army positions a total of 108 times in the past 24 hours, he said. For instance, 16 shell attacks were recorded in the Luhansk sector; eight of them from heavy weaponry, hostilities were most intense in the Novoaidar area.

"Hostiles continued to employ heavy weapons against the defenders of Krymske yesterday, having fired 25 artillery shells and over 50 mines in the past 24 hours," the Defense Ministry spokesman said.

He affirms that there has also been unquiet on the Bahmut highway, where in Novotoshkivske militants have fired grenade launchers and have carried out a massive mortar attack, having fired some 50 mines on Ukrainian army positions.

At the same time, the intensity of shell attacks has lowered in the Popasna area: a mortar attack near Novo-Oleksandrivka and five grenade launcher attacks were recorded. Furthermore, the militants have breached the ceasefire twice in the Stanytsia Luhanska area, he said.

Meanwhile, militants have shelled Ukrainian army positions 35 times in the Donetsk sector, of which 15 from heavy weaponry, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Besides, Lysenko highlighted lowering intensity of shelling in Avdiyivka and its suburbs that allows conducting operations to restore the damaged infrastructure in the city and resume electric power supply. Avdiyivka is still being provided with water up to the schedule from city water tanks.

"Hostilities of low and moderate intensity with sporadic use of heavy weaponry, in particular, mortars continue on the Svitlodarsk bulge, along the Horlivka perimeter and near the Donetsk airfield," the Defense Ministry spokesman said.

The militants have shelled Ukrainian army positions 57 times in the Mariupol sector.

The militants have breached the ceasefire thrice in the Maryinka area, he said. They have fired ten artillery shells at Ukrainian army positions in the Dokuchayevsk area, Lysenko said.
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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/407808.html

The Donetsk filter station has resumed operations, Head of Donetsk Regional Military and Civil Administration Pavlo Zhebrivsky has said.

"In the morning, the station staff, accompanied by explosives technicians and representatives of the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) and the OSCE visited the Donetsk filter station, carried out all necessary connections and brought the station into operation," Zhebrivsky wrote on his Facebook page at about 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

At the same time, the head of the Donetsk administration added that repairmen of the Communal Enterprise Water of Donbas have not yet been given the opportunity to inspect the damaged sections of the water pipe to Avdiyivka, because parts of the water pipe were damaged by shelling.

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[Hindustani78]

Crackdown on arms smuggling

 

[ultron]

more than 3360 Ukrainian soldiers killed so far

http://memorybook.org.ua/

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.unian.info/war/1816447-...emy-attacks-in-donbas-5-wias-in-last-day.html

Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 80 times in the past 24 hours with five Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action (WIA), according to the press service of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters.

"The Russian occupation troops continued to attack our positions, using heavy weapons. The towns of Krasnohorivka and Maryinka, and the villages of Novotroyitske, Vodiane, Pavlopil, and Bohdanivka in the Mariupol sector came under mortar fire. Grenade launchers and small arms were used to shell Maryinka, and the villages of Lebedynske, Starohnativka, Taramchuk, Novohryhorivka, Shyrokyne, Chermalyk, Vodiane, and Hnutove. Additionally, a sniper was active in the village of Talakivka," the report says.

The town of Popasna, and the villages of Krymske and Novo-Oleksandrivka in the Luhansk sector also came under mortar fire, while grenade launchers and small arms were used to attack the villages of Novozvanivka, Novo-Oleksandrivka and Stanytsia Luhanska.

"In the Donetsk sector, the invaders opened fire from mortars of various calibers on the town of Avdiyivka, and the villages of Nevelske, Maiorsk, Dacha, and Luhanske. They also fired grenade launchers and small arms on Avdiyivka, and the villages of Opytne, Kamianka, Luhanske, Pisky, Nevelske, Zaitseve, and Troyitske. Moreover, enemy snipers were working in Avdiyivka and Zaitseve. Furthermore, Troyitske was attacked with the use of anti-aircraft guns," the ATO headquarters said.

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14:58
DPR reports deaths of three militiamen in past week, one serviceman and two civilians wounded

13:52
Ukraine to hand over body of deceased militiaman to DPR

13:00
Ukrainian saboteurs suspected of killing LPR militia commander detained - LPR

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.unian.info/war/1817241-ukraine-reports-6-wias-in-donbas-in-last-day.html

Six Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in eastern Ukraine in the last 24 hours, speaker for the ATO at Ukraine's Defense Ministry Andriy Lysenko told a briefing, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

"Over the past day, six Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action," Lysenko said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 80 times in the past 24 hours.

 

[ultron]

2 Ukrainian soldiers KIA and 16 more WIA yesterday.

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.unian.info/war/1818312-ukraine-reports-107-enemy-attacks-2-kias-9-wias-in-last-day.html

Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 107 times in the past 24 hours with two Ukrainian soldiers reported as killed in action (KIA) and nine as wounded in action (WIA), according to the press service of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters.


In the Mariupol sector, the enemy used 122mm artillery systems in the villages of Vodiane and Hnutove. The town of Maryinka came under fire from a tank and 120mm mortars. The militants also used 120mm and 82mm mortars in the town of Krasnohorivka, and the villages of Vodiane, Mykolaivka, Talakivka, Pavlopil and Hnutove, as well as grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms on the villages of Taramchuk, Shyrokyne, Pavlopil and Vodiane. Additionally, infantry fighting vehicles were used to shell Vodiane.


In the Donetsk sector, the Russian occupation forces opened fire from tanks and mortars on the Ukrainian positions near the town of Avdiyivka. They also used mortars of various calibers in the villages of Kamianka, Nevelske, Zaitseve, Novoluhanske, Luhanske and Butivka coal mine. In addition, the militants fired grenade launchers and small arms on the villages of Opytne, Novhorodske, Kamianka, Zaitseve, Pisky and Butivka coal mine. Moreover, Luhanske came under fire from infantry fighting vehicles.

At the same time, in the Luhansk sector, the occupiers fired Grad MLR systems, 152mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, as well as anti-tank missile systems on the village of Krymske. The enemy also used 152mm artillery systems in the village of Smolianynove. Snipers were active in the village of Novo-Oleksandrivka. Furthermore, the invaders shelled grenade launchers and small arms on the villages of Valuiske, Novozvanivka and Novo-Oleksandrivka.

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https://www.unian.info/war/1818371-sbu-reveals-cache-of-ammunition-in-donbas-photo.html

The employees of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine have revealed a big cache of ammunition in the Donbas conflict zone, the SBU's press center reported.

War 15:47, 11 March 2017


The cache was located in the so-called 'grey zone' in an abandoned house near the village of Vodiane in the Yasynuvata district of Donetsk region, the press center said.


"The SBU officers confiscated almost 1,000 ammunition of 30mm caliber and more than 50 links for cannon tape," the report reads.

In one of the reservoirs near the town of Krasnohorivka, the SBU officers revealed an airproof package with an RGO grenade with fuse, a shell and a flight stabilizer to a grenade launcher.

The relevant procedural actions are under way.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/408322.html
A total of two Ukrainian servicemen were killed, 16 more wounded and injured in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in Donbas in the past 24 hours, Andriy Lysenko, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesperson, said.

"A total of two Ukrainian servicemen were killed, 16 soldiers were wounded and injured in hostilities in the past 24 hours," Lysenko said at a briefing in Kyiv on Saturday.

The populated locality of Krymske was the most serious hot spot in the Luhansk sector, the enemy used mortars, Grad multiple rocket launch systems and howitzers, he said. A total of 16 instances of shelling were recorded in the Luhansk sector in the past 24 hours, a quarter of them from heavy weapons.

The enemy fired from infantry fighting vehicles and small arms and used mortars occasionally on the Svitlodarsk bulge in the Donetsk sector, Lysenko said. Tanks and mortars were also used in Avdiivka. A total of 35 instances of shelling were recorded in the Donetsk sector in the past 24 hours, 13 of them using heavy weapons.
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11:21
Self-proclaimed DPR reports 9 buildings damaged, man wounded in shelling

11:04
Kyiv cuts off water supply to self-proclaimed LPR from Zahidna purification plant - Luhanskvoda

http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=739970
March 11, 2017 14:06
Situation on frontline in Donbas exacerbated - self-proclaimed LPR
LUHANSK. March 11 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian troops fired at the positions of the People's Militia of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) about 350 shells and mortars in the past 24 hours, Andrei Marochko, the LPR Defense Ministry spokesperson, said.

"The situation in the area of responsibility of the LPR People's Militia has exacerbated. A total of 348 mortars and shells were fired at the territory of the republic in the past 24 hours," Marochko told reporters on Saturday.

The People's Militia said earlier that the Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled the positions of militiamen 14 times, and the militia's serviceman was wounded in shelling.

The wounded serviceman has been admitted to a hospital, Marochko said.

 

[ultron]

2 Ukrainian soldiers KIA and another WIA yesterday

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.unian.info/war/1819221-enemy-subversive-groups-active-in-ato-zone-intel.html

Ukrainian intelligence has reported increased activity of Russian-backed subversive reconnaissance groups in the area of conducting the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry.

"The activity of enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups, which were trained under the guidance of Russian instructors, has intensified," the agency posted on Facebook.


The intelligence department noted that a network of centers for training saboteurs was deployed both in the temporarily occupied territories and in the regions of the Russian Federation bordering Ukraine. As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian military in the ATO zone had spotted a sniper group of occupants and eliminated one of them.

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Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 75 times in the past 24 hours with two Ukrainian soldiers reported as killed in action (KIA); the situation in the area of conducting the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) remains unsettled, but controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to the press center of the ATO Headquarters.

"In the Mariupol sector, Ukrainian positions near the village of Mykolaivka came under fire from artillery systems of large caliber, while the militants used mortars in the villages of Slavne, Hnutove, Pavlopil and Berezove. The enemy also fired small arms, machine guns of large caliber, and grenade launches of various systems on the villages of Shyrokyne, Vodiane, Talakivka, and the town of Krasnohorivka. The occupiers also used infantry fighting vehicles and a tank to attack the towns of Maryinka," the ATO HQ posted on Facebook.


Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a military clash with an enemy subversive reconnaissance group.


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As a result of intense shelling by Russian-backed militants, private homes and power lines have been damaged in the town of Maryinka and the village of Mykolaivka in Donetsk region; there are no casualties, according to the Police Communications Department of Donetsk region.

The militants attacked Mykolaivka at about 19.30 on March 11. Houses Nos. 33 and 35 on Haharina Street were damaged. A power line was broken, leaving the village without electricity, the department reports.

On the morning of March 12, private house No. 60 on Oktyabrska Street suffered direct hit due to shelling Maryinka. The house is located on the militants' fire line, so people do not reside there.

The consequences of the attacks have been recorded. The information is entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under Article 258 (terrorist act) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Law enforcers make the round of affected areas to identify all the damages, asking the residents what help they need. As UNIAN reported earlier, the militants shelled the pumping station of the first elevation of Yuzhno-Donbasky water pipeline on Saturday night, February 11. The station is located between the villages of Vasylivka and Kruta Balka near the contact line. It provides water supply to Volnovakha, Pokrovsk, and Dobropillia regions, as well as the city of Mariupol.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/408284.html

Ukrainian parliamentarian Nadiia Savchenko has given evidence to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) regarding her visit to the territory of Donbas uncontrolled by Kyiv, SBU chief Vasyl Hrytsak said.

"She came to questioning once and then she rescheduled the questioning because she was told she was probably busy. When she came to be questioned again, it was several days ago, she testified," Hrytsak told reporters in Cherkassy on Friday.

Hrytsak said the visit had not been approved by the SBU.

"At the same time, I want to say that Nadiia Savchenko on most issues cited Article 63 of the Constitution, as the head of the investigative division. If you remember, there was information that she [Savchenko] took part in firing practice on the territory of the DPR. She denied that," Hrytsak said.

Commenting on information provided by Savchenko saying she had visited the territory uncontrolled by Kyiv as a result of a special operation, Hrytsak said: "There was no special operation, at least one in which SBU could be involved. She did not get approval for that visit from anyone from the state authorities, including the administration of the national special service."

The SBU chief said he does not approve of Savchenko's visit to Donbas. "I will never believe that her stay there took place without a blessing from various curators, including from the territory of our eastern neighbor from Moscow," he said.

In February, Savchenko and Volodymyr Ruban, the head of the Officer Corps center for the exchange of prisoners-of-war, arrived in Donetsk and then a penitentiary colony in Makiyivka, where Ukrainian prisoners were kept.

On March 1, Savchenko said on 112 Ukraine television that the crossing of the dividing line during her visit to the DPR was "a planned special operation." She declined to give the details of this operation, saying that "special operations are special operations because they are not disclosed before or after" they are conducted.

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14:14
Ukrainian Security Service plotted attack on Zakharchenko near Uspenka checkpoint - Ukrainian detained in LPR

 

[Hindustani78]

Ukrainian tanks stand in the yard of an apartment block in Avdeyevka, eastern Ukraine
© AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka