Ukrainian forces launch attack in northern Donetsk, Lugansk

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Between six and ten Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 20 were wounded Sunday afternoon in an attack in northern Donetsk and Lugansk, according to Russian and Ukrainian language news sources.

According to a report by novorosinform.org, elements of the Ukrainian 54th Rifle Brigade attacked at around 1300 hrs at three points south of the Svetodarsk arc.  Among the towns attacked were Logvinovka and Kalinovka

Kalinovka is northeast of Debaltstevo about six kilometers.  Logvinovka sits astride the only major road between Debaltsevo and the regional city of Bakhmut, formerly known as Artemovsk, which serves as a logistical and command hub for Ukrainian fores in the region.

The losses by the Ukrainians were said to be 10 dead, according to Russian accounts.  Those casualties and the approximate location of the fighting was confirmed in the Censor.net.ua, by way of a volunteer reporting from his Facebook page, Yuri Mysyagin.

In that report, Mysyagin said six were killed.

According to the Russian account, the Ukrainian also lost two BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles in the exchange.

Serial reports on the fighting through the official Lugansk government website originally claimed 30 Ukrainian troops were killed, but later revised those casualty tolls.  A subsequent report said that the Ukrainian commanders who ordered the attacks were drunk.

According to the Russian accounts, fighting continues in the area.

The weather in southern Ukraine has been bitterly cold.  Lows expected for Monday are about 30 degrees F.

Late reports by rebel media suggested that Ukrainian forces launched an offensive across a relatively wide front of 16 kilometers, hitting rebel strongpoints in Kalinovka to the east, Lozovoye to the west and Logvinovka in the center.

Rebel media say that Debaltsevo is the prize, because rebel forces in both Donetsk and Lugansk regard it as a critical road/rail hub.  Debaltsevo was captured by rebel forces in late winter of 2014-2015 after a bloody campaign that cost Ukrainian forces more than 3,500 troops.

The rebel side have never released casualty numbers for their side in the Debaltsevo campaign but reports at the time suggested they were very heavy as well.

Ukrainian forces attempted a similar attack early last summer with much the same results. According to the report, Ukrainian forces, including the Ukrainian 54th and 58th Separate Rifle Brigades, struck rebel lines with a reinforced rifle company against dug in rebel positions at Logvinovka, Lozovoye and Kalinovka.

At the time it was thought by rebel military journalists that Logvinovka could be used to site artillery observers who could then peer into Debaltsevo.

You can read about last summer's fighting in the area here.