Increased risk of renewed fighting in Eastern Ukraine
The situation in the East of Ukraine remains tense. Militants shelled Ukrainian positions 25 times in the last 24 hours. The majority of the attacks occurred in Donetsk area.
Towns of Marinka, Troitskoe, Verhnetoretskoe, Krasnogorovka, Peskov and Avdeevka were shelled with anti-aircraft systems, mortars, grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms.
The Ukrainian positions in the towns of Shirokino, Zaitseve and Novgorodskoe also came under direct fire.
After 20 pm, the towns of Krasnogorovka and Hornyak came under fire of Grad multiple rocket launchers. Twelve Grad missiles were fired by the separatists.
A military expert, Dmitry Tymchuk, reported that such attacks of the pro-Kremlin separatists demonstrate their readiness to further escalate the conflict.
According to him, there is an increased movement of the enemy troops, heavy armour and artillery toward the front lines in Mariupol, Donetsk, Artemovsk, Lugansk and Volnovakha areas.
“At the same time there is a massive flow of military personnel and armour to the areas of Donbas from the bordering Russian territories. The movement is the most active in Izvarino and Novoazovsk crossing points, ” – reported Tymchuk.
Moreover, the separatists have amassed artillery and sabotage and reconnaissance units in the areas of Donetsk.
Divisions of two Motorised Infantry Brigades and artillery units in Horlivka are on high alert while the new reinforcements continue to arrive.
Yesterday, Donetsk residents experienced an unpleasant evening. The majority of people took the sound of thunder and lightning flashes for a sound of Grad shells. According to one of the residents, the sound “similar to a sound of a flying object” was heard from the area of the railway station. The residents from another side of the town reported a glow and frequent bangs in Staromikhailovka direction.
“Strange military activities started in the area of Abakumova village at 9:30 pm. We heard the sound of up to ten Grad missiles. Some time later, we were deafened by three salvos as if somebody fired from an air defence system. There were periodic shots and bangs under the cover of darkness and bad weather all around. One of the mobile operators and cable Internet doesn’t work” – reported a Donetsk resident, Oksana Dorohina.
The first snow fell in Donetsk at night and in the morning residents once again reported the sounds of artillery in the village near of Oktyabrsky mine.