Pro-Russian militants attempt to break through Ukrainian defense lines in Donbas
On the night of February 22, pro-Russian militants tried to break through the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donbas but were forced to retreat suffering losses, reported the press service of the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation.
"Today, on the night of February 22, a failed attempt was made to break through the demarcation line by a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," the statement of the Ukrainian military command reads.
According to the Ukrainian military, militants opened fire and tried to get through the Ukrainian positions near the village of Novotoshkivske. The soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces promptly detected the advance of the enemy and thwarted the attack.
It is noted that the militants suffered losses and retreated. “One killed Russian mercenary was left on the battlefield,” the Ukrainian military stated.
On February 18, pro-Russian militants attacked Ukrainian positions near the settlements of Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske and Khutir Vilny. One Ukrainian soldier, 22-year-old grenade launcher Maxim Hitailov, was killed. The militants handed his body over to the Ukrainian military on February 20.
Four Ukrainian soldier were wounded during that fight.
The head of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ruslan Khomchak, said that four militants were killed and six were wounded during the attack.