For a map, click here.
By Chris Covert
Ukrainian official sources claimed that on Monday, rebel rocket artillery hit a Ukrainian held location in northern Donetsk, damaging more than 100 buildings and wounding eight civilians, according to Russian language news accounts.
Official rebel media denied the reports.
Meanwhile, official rebel media said that a massive Ukrainian artillery attack hit Pervomaisk, Kalinovo and Stakhanov in northern rebel held areas of Lugansk.
According to a news account posted in lb.ua, rebel rocket artillery began firing from near Zaistevo, northeast to Novolugansk at around 1700 hrs Monday, Moscow time. The attack damaged a power station, gas lines and residential structures.
Novolugansk is on the west side of the main road leading from Bakhmut (formerly Artemovsk) to rebel held Debaltsevo, part of an area known as the Svetlodarsk arc.
According to a statement released Monday by Donetsk ministry of defense spokesman Colonel Eduard Basurin, Ukrainian forces, specifically the artillery detachments of the Ukrainian 54th Separate Mechanized Rifle Brigade and the 128th Separate Mountain Rifle Brigade, hit Novolugansk with rocket artillery originating from Ukrainian held areas north of Zaistevo/Gorlovka.
Both Ukrainian units were the units that sent troops in to capture a pair of villages just north of Zaistevo, in Gladosovo and Travnevoye, a few weeks ago.
The statement said that rebel troops are close to, but not in Novolugansk, so it is possible that the artillery fire was directed at rebel troops but fell short. If so, it would not be the first time in this three year old war that Ukrainian artillery units have fired shorts.
Use of rocket artillery has been forbidden since the middle of 2015, when both sides agreed to withdraw all large bore weapons from the front line. That said, the rocket artillery platform most commonly used by both sides, the 122mm BM-21 has a range out to 45 kilometers, depending on the type of munitions used.
Both sides from time to time have accused the other of firing rocket artillery, but its reported use is not constant.
Reports compiled and presented through the website of Russian retired reserve FSB Colonel Igor Girkin, novorosinform.org, said that the Ukrainian artillery attack on Pervomaisk, Stakhanov and Kalinovo began at around 2030 hrs Monday night and lasted about 20 minutes. The weapons used included 82mm and 120mm mortars including mines.
Damaged structures in Stakhanov included five story and eight story residential buildings, with residents complaining about damage to the roof and damage to gas lines in the area. Power was temporarily knocked out in the area.
According to official rebel accounts in Lugansk, three unidentified individuals were wounded in Stakhanov and one in Pervomaisk
In Kalinovo, reports say that three civilians were wounded in the attack, and that a water filtration plant was damaged and put out of operation. Power was temporarily knocked out from that attack as well.
Reports from Donetsk say that Ukrainian artillery hit residential areas of Gorlovka, wounding one unidentified female, and damaging residential structures. A video posted on the website of Gorlovka Pravda showed two areas where Ukrainian shells hit, one of them said to be from a 152mm howitzer. Gas lines were damaged from the shrapnel as well.
A separate report from novorosinform.org said that a new artillery attack on Gorlovka was recorded Tuesday afternoon. A separate attack which damaged two residential buildings was recorded in Dokuchaevsk, which is south of Donetsk city.
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 and here
The journalism of Chris Covert
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Monday, December 11, 2017
4 Ukrainians wounded in artillery shelling in Donetsk
For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately. By Chris Covert
Fighting in the recently captured Gladosovo and Travnevoye villages and shelling in key parts of the line of contact continued as five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded and one rebel soldiers was killed according to Russian language news accounts.
On Friday night, according to Russian backed rebel media in Donetsk, a Ukrainian seven man patrol was caught near Dolomitoye attempting to infiltrate the line of contact south. Dolomitoye is near Gorlovka and Gladosovo. According to the news release, two Ukrainian effectives were killed, as the other five escaped back to their lines.
Rebels media reported that Ukrainian site commanders in Gladosovo and Travnevoye have detained a number of civilians in the two towns, two of them charged with reporting to rebel commanders as artillery damage assessors. According to Donetsk ministry of defense spokesman, Colonel Eduard Basurin, Ukrainian commanders are talking about using the detainees as human shields.
Reports in the Russian sponsored Russkaya Vesna news outlet said that looting continues to occur in Gladosovo and Travnevoye, and that Ukrainian commanders are promising their soldiers to permit looting in exchange for capturing rebel held villages.
Ukrainian media has not addressed the charges to date.
Russkaya Vesna also reported that Ukrainian artillery fire struck rebel positions at the Donetsk airport, Spartak and the Yasinovataya checkpoint Monday night.
Russkaya Vesna also said that on Monday night, Ukrainian heavy artillery fire hit rebel positions at Logvinovo south of the Svetlodarsk arc. An hour later, Ukrainian artillery hit rebel positions to the east of Svetlodarsk at Pervomaisk, and Stakhanov, both of which are key positions for the rebels in Lugansk.
In lb.ua, however, a report said that on Sunday, five Ukrainians were wounded in rebel shelling in a number of locales in both Donetsk and Lugansk. The report said that rebel mortar and heavy weapons fire hit the Lugansk villages of Krymskoye, Novotoshkovskiy, Travnevoye, Svetlodarsk, Luganskoye and Zaitsevo.
The lb.ua report goes on to state that heavy fighting took place in Avdievka, where rebels fired more than three dozen 82mm mortar shells, including mines.
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 and here
Saturday, December 9, 2017
For a map, click here You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately.
Rebels and Ukrainian forces both claim four dead each as losses mount and ongoing shelling and probes continue, according to Russian language news reports.
According to a news release by the rebel Donetsk ministry of defense four rebel soldiers were killed in the past week. The news release failed to note where the soldiers were killed, but it is known that most of the fighting in Donetsk is taking place as Dokuchaevsk, Avdievka, near Gorlovka and near the Svetodarsk arc in Lugansk.
Last week rebel media claimed that losses from the Ukrainian occupation of Gladosovo and Travenoye were so heavy that Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw. At first, informal accounts by militiamen for the rebels, posted at retired reserve FSB Colonel Igor Girkin' VKontackte page, indicated that rebel forces had ringed the outskirts of Gladodovo and Travenoye with snipers, causing as many as ten dead in a 24 hour period.
Parts of the Ukrainian 54th Motorized Rifle brigade and the volunteer 24th "Aydar" battalion, along wiht a small artillery unit now occupied Gladosovo
Official rebel media later claimed the Ukrainian forces had not withdrawn, but instead had suffered losses due to friendly fire.
A week later, it appears that Ukrainian forces have withdrawn some forces, it is reported, with one tactical commander refusing to move due to intense rebel fire.
According to a post on the website of the Russian sponsored Russkaya Vesna, Ukrainian losses have increased to 17 dead and nine wounded. It is unclear in the reports if the counts are cumulative, or are since the last week.
The Ukrainian Russian language news outlet said that rebel forces continue to pound Ukrainian positions at Travnevoy, Vodanoye, which is in southern Donetsk and at Avdievka near Donetsk city, using a variety of heavy weapons including 120mm mortars.
Rebel media now claim that the takeover of Gladosovo is part of the Ukrainian general staff's plan to reinforce their positions to prepare for another mini offensive.
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 and here
Rebels and Ukrainian forces both claim four dead each as losses mount and ongoing shelling and probes continue, according to Russian language news reports.
According to a news release by the rebel Donetsk ministry of defense four rebel soldiers were killed in the past week. The news release failed to note where the soldiers were killed, but it is known that most of the fighting in Donetsk is taking place as Dokuchaevsk, Avdievka, near Gorlovka and near the Svetodarsk arc in Lugansk.
Last week rebel media claimed that losses from the Ukrainian occupation of Gladosovo and Travenoye were so heavy that Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw. At first, informal accounts by militiamen for the rebels, posted at retired reserve FSB Colonel Igor Girkin' VKontackte page, indicated that rebel forces had ringed the outskirts of Gladodovo and Travenoye with snipers, causing as many as ten dead in a 24 hour period.
Parts of the Ukrainian 54th Motorized Rifle brigade and the volunteer 24th "Aydar" battalion, along wiht a small artillery unit now occupied Gladosovo
Official rebel media later claimed the Ukrainian forces had not withdrawn, but instead had suffered losses due to friendly fire.
A week later, it appears that Ukrainian forces have withdrawn some forces, it is reported, with one tactical commander refusing to move due to intense rebel fire.
According to a post on the website of the Russian sponsored Russkaya Vesna, Ukrainian losses have increased to 17 dead and nine wounded. It is unclear in the reports if the counts are cumulative, or are since the last week.
The Ukrainian Russian language news outlet said that rebel forces continue to pound Ukrainian positions at Travnevoy, Vodanoye, which is in southern Donetsk and at Avdievka near Donetsk city, using a variety of heavy weapons including 120mm mortars.
Rebel media now claim that the takeover of Gladosovo is part of the Ukrainian general staff's plan to reinforce their positions to prepare for another mini offensive.
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 and here
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Rebels warn takeover of Gladosovo could spark counterattack
For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately.
By Chris Covert
Two attacks took place in northern Donetsk and Lugansk, one of them after the Ukrainian takeover of the villages of Gladosovo and Travnevoe on the night of November 21st to 22nd, which was a major gunfight and the largest in recent memory.
Going by rebel accounts in the Russian sponsored Russkaya Vesna and from other Ukrainian news reports, rebel commanders decided to act on new information about a new offensive Ukraine had planned by sending a tactical team deep into Lugansk to intercept a Ukrainian force which was heading to Gladosovo and other areas considered to be a gray area which neither side were occupying at the time.
The encounter, by every measure, was an ambush of a company size element, which cost the Ukrainians five dead and more than 10 wounded.
Information carelessly leaked on the Ukrainian ministry of defense website showed that the Ukrainian general staff intended to send a composite rifle company into the area, consisting of elements of the Ukrainian 54th Motorized Rifle Brigade, units from the Ukrainian volunteer unit, the 24th "Aydar" Battalion and an artillery unit from the Georgian 128th Separate Mountain Infantry Brigade.
According to a Live Journal post, Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin noted that the 128th Brigade had participated in the battles south of Gorlovka at Yasinovataya in March, 2016. That attack was the one that cut off the only hard surface road between Donetsk city and Gorlovka. Gorlovka at the time was suffering daily nocturnal artillery attacks from the Ukrainians.
The 2nd engagement, which Ukrainian national officials claim was an unauthorized military mission, took place in Lugansk, along a contested road commonly known as the Bahkmuta, a colloquial name for highway P66.
Russian writer Anton Orlovsky detailed the fight at Frunze:
The advanced party, moving under the cover of night and snowy weather on the night of November 23rd, ran into a minefield, which killed three and wounded five others. The Ukrainian site commander called for mortar and heavy machine gun fire to cover their retreat.
The only prisoner, wounded and left behind, was captured by the rebels. Jr. Sergeant Roman Furstev told the rebels that commander of 3rd Company, Ukrainian 58th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, identified as Senior Lieutenant Danilko had been convinced that the rebel position at Frunze was occupied by only two pickets, and no heavy weapons, and that taking the position would be "easy."
Yuri Biryukov, adviser to Ukrainian president Piotr Poroshenko, was quoted, saying that Sr. Lt. Danilko had read about the prior day's operation north of Gorlovka, and wanted to seize some glory for himself.
The report, which appeared in Russkaya Vesna indicated that the size of the attacking force was seven to 10 effectives. The report also indicated that the brigade's 3rd Company was staffed mainly with former members of the notorious Ukrainian volunteer unit, the "Donbass" Battalion.
Sgt. Furstev told the rebels that he was in change of a detachment of heavy and medium machine guns with orders that once the position was captured, his detachment would cover the Ukrainian further advance into rebel territory with machine gun fire.
According to a story which appeared in the Ukrainian versti-Ukr.com, one of the leaders of the probe died in the minefield. It is unclear in reports if the dead was Sr. Lt. Danilko
Russian military correspondent for Komsomol Pravda, Aleksandr Kots wrote that rebel commanders consider the new situation similar to Debaltsevo two years ago. Ukrainian artillery had increased the intensity of its fire against rebel positions in Golrovka. Rebel commanders consider the position the Ukrainians had made for themselves similar to Debaltsevo because then, as now, the only solution for the rebels to reduce the amount of artillery fire on their positions was to attack and eliminate the Ukrainian positions.
Kots' report served as a warning about the actions rebels had taken in the past. The villages Gladosovo and Travnevoe, said rebel military officials, are part of the cauldron similar to the cauldron the rebels reduced in Debaltsevo. Kots also said that the position the Ukrainians placed themselves in was similar to Shirokino, the southern Donetsk village fought over until the villages itself became tactically worthless by virtue of its sheer destruction.
The rebels abandoned Shirokino in late 2015.
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 and here.
By Chris Covert
Two attacks took place in northern Donetsk and Lugansk, one of them after the Ukrainian takeover of the villages of Gladosovo and Travnevoe on the night of November 21st to 22nd, which was a major gunfight and the largest in recent memory.
Going by rebel accounts in the Russian sponsored Russkaya Vesna and from other Ukrainian news reports, rebel commanders decided to act on new information about a new offensive Ukraine had planned by sending a tactical team deep into Lugansk to intercept a Ukrainian force which was heading to Gladosovo and other areas considered to be a gray area which neither side were occupying at the time.
The encounter, by every measure, was an ambush of a company size element, which cost the Ukrainians five dead and more than 10 wounded.
Information carelessly leaked on the Ukrainian ministry of defense website showed that the Ukrainian general staff intended to send a composite rifle company into the area, consisting of elements of the Ukrainian 54th Motorized Rifle Brigade, units from the Ukrainian volunteer unit, the 24th "Aydar" Battalion and an artillery unit from the Georgian 128th Separate Mountain Infantry Brigade.
According to a Live Journal post, Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin noted that the 128th Brigade had participated in the battles south of Gorlovka at Yasinovataya in March, 2016. That attack was the one that cut off the only hard surface road between Donetsk city and Gorlovka. Gorlovka at the time was suffering daily nocturnal artillery attacks from the Ukrainians.
The 2nd engagement, which Ukrainian national officials claim was an unauthorized military mission, took place in Lugansk, along a contested road commonly known as the Bahkmuta, a colloquial name for highway P66.
Russian writer Anton Orlovsky detailed the fight at Frunze:
The advanced party, moving under the cover of night and snowy weather on the night of November 23rd, ran into a minefield, which killed three and wounded five others. The Ukrainian site commander called for mortar and heavy machine gun fire to cover their retreat.
The only prisoner, wounded and left behind, was captured by the rebels. Jr. Sergeant Roman Furstev told the rebels that commander of 3rd Company, Ukrainian 58th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, identified as Senior Lieutenant Danilko had been convinced that the rebel position at Frunze was occupied by only two pickets, and no heavy weapons, and that taking the position would be "easy."
Yuri Biryukov, adviser to Ukrainian president Piotr Poroshenko, was quoted, saying that Sr. Lt. Danilko had read about the prior day's operation north of Gorlovka, and wanted to seize some glory for himself.
The report, which appeared in Russkaya Vesna indicated that the size of the attacking force was seven to 10 effectives. The report also indicated that the brigade's 3rd Company was staffed mainly with former members of the notorious Ukrainian volunteer unit, the "Donbass" Battalion.
Sgt. Furstev told the rebels that he was in change of a detachment of heavy and medium machine guns with orders that once the position was captured, his detachment would cover the Ukrainian further advance into rebel territory with machine gun fire.
According to a story which appeared in the Ukrainian versti-Ukr.com, one of the leaders of the probe died in the minefield. It is unclear in reports if the dead was Sr. Lt. Danilko
Russian military correspondent for Komsomol Pravda, Aleksandr Kots wrote that rebel commanders consider the new situation similar to Debaltsevo two years ago. Ukrainian artillery had increased the intensity of its fire against rebel positions in Golrovka. Rebel commanders consider the position the Ukrainians had made for themselves similar to Debaltsevo because then, as now, the only solution for the rebels to reduce the amount of artillery fire on their positions was to attack and eliminate the Ukrainian positions.
Kots' report served as a warning about the actions rebels had taken in the past. The villages Gladosovo and Travnevoe, said rebel military officials, are part of the cauldron similar to the cauldron the rebels reduced in Debaltsevo. Kots also said that the position the Ukrainians placed themselves in was similar to Shirokino, the southern Donetsk village fought over until the villages itself became tactically worthless by virtue of its sheer destruction.
The rebels abandoned Shirokino in late 2015.
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 and here.
Monday, November 27, 2017
Ukraine's attack plans were posted on Ukraine's defense website
For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately.
By Chris Covert
The ill-advised attack by Ukrainian forces at Frunze November 23rd is receiving sharp criticism, including from some Ukrainian officials, according to Ukrainian and Russian language news reports
The nocturnal attack cost the Ukrainian 58th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade three men killed in action, four wounded and one captured.
According to information provided by official rebel accounts at the website of the Donetsk ministry of defense, the November 23rd attack and one that took place just prior, north of Gorlovka was a part of military plans revealed accidentally on a Ukrainian ministry of defense website.
According to defense spokesman for the Donetsk breakaway republic, details of ambitious plans by the Ukrainian staff in Kiev were displayed after a meeting in Kiev between parts of the MoD, including defense chief General Viktor Muzenko, and the affected maneuver brigade commanders. The meeting took place the week before.
Donetsk rebel spokesman Lt. Colonel Eduard Basurin said in a November 26th press release, that plans for renewed offensive action by the Ukrainians centered around the Svetodarsk arc region just north of Debaltsevo in eastern Donetsk/far western Lugansk. Part of the presentation included a number of printed cards to describe the Ukrainians plans, according to Col. Basurin. That data was promptly displayed on a Ukrainian ministry of defense page, which pro Ukrainian activists noticed and announced on social media.
Basurin said that by the time the error was discovered, the Ukrainian probe into Frunze was tipped off. The day before, the Ukrainian advance into Gladosovo and Travnevoye, which is west of the Svetodarsk arc, took elements of the Ukrainian 54th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade into an area Basurin claimed gave Ukrainian forces "no tactical advantage", due to it being surrounded by heights. The volunteer 24th "Aydar" Battalion also took part in the capturing of the villages.
The Svetodarsk region, which is primarily a road between Artemovsk surrounded by lakes, north of the Svetodarsk arc -- and a main logistics hub for the Ukrainians in the region -- and Debaltsevo, has been a severe issue between the fighting forces since the fall of Debaltsevo in February, 2015. The month long battle was extremely bloody for both sides, including the rebels who captured the town.
Since early 2015, Ukrainians attempted to mount two major attacks meant to break the line of dug in rebel troops in front of Logvinovo. Logvinovo is the only settlement of any size on the highway between Artemovsk and Debaltsevo. The attacks were costly for the Ukrainians. The rebels have yet to reveal the extent of their losses.
Col. Basurin pointed out in another news release that the failure of the Frunze attack could be laid solely at General Muzenko's feet.
Now, according to a separate news account in Vesti-ukr.com, the attack on Frunze is being characterized as "unauthorized", which could be true, since Col. Basurin hasten to add in another account that responsibility for the failed attack was not on the newly appointed Ukrainian commander in the region, Lt. General Mykhailo Zabrodsky.
According to the vesti-ukr.com account, adviser to Ukrainian president Piotr Poroshenko, Yury Biryukov said the attack was undertaken by unidentified officers within the staff of the 58th Motorized Rifle Brigade, who were "seeking glory."
Lugansk
Rebels and Ukrainian media said that both sides exchanged artillery fire in Lugansk.
Ukrainian media said that the rebels fired 82mm mortar fire into Krymskoye on Sunday.
Rebels said that Ukrainian forces fired 82mm and 120mm mortar fire on towns south and east of the Svetodarsk region, including at Kalinovka, Kalinovo, Logvinovo and Slavyanoserbsk.
Donetsk
On Monday, Ukrainian media reported exchanges of gunfire in southern Donetsk, at Vodnovo and Gnutovo. Near Donetsk city, rebels fired on Ukrainian positions at Avdievka.
On Sunday, according to a news report in gorlovka-pravda.dn.ua, a residential building in Zaitsevo was destroyed by fire after it was hit by Ukrainian artillery fire.
Also on Sunday, the Donetsk ministry of defense website said that two more buildings in Dokuchaevsk were damaged from Ukrainian direct fire from infantry fighting vehicles and from heavy machine guns.
By Chris Covert
The ill-advised attack by Ukrainian forces at Frunze November 23rd is receiving sharp criticism, including from some Ukrainian officials, according to Ukrainian and Russian language news reports
The nocturnal attack cost the Ukrainian 58th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade three men killed in action, four wounded and one captured.
According to information provided by official rebel accounts at the website of the Donetsk ministry of defense, the November 23rd attack and one that took place just prior, north of Gorlovka was a part of military plans revealed accidentally on a Ukrainian ministry of defense website.
According to defense spokesman for the Donetsk breakaway republic, details of ambitious plans by the Ukrainian staff in Kiev were displayed after a meeting in Kiev between parts of the MoD, including defense chief General Viktor Muzenko, and the affected maneuver brigade commanders. The meeting took place the week before.
Donetsk rebel spokesman Lt. Colonel Eduard Basurin said in a November 26th press release, that plans for renewed offensive action by the Ukrainians centered around the Svetodarsk arc region just north of Debaltsevo in eastern Donetsk/far western Lugansk. Part of the presentation included a number of printed cards to describe the Ukrainians plans, according to Col. Basurin. That data was promptly displayed on a Ukrainian ministry of defense page, which pro Ukrainian activists noticed and announced on social media.
Basurin said that by the time the error was discovered, the Ukrainian probe into Frunze was tipped off. The day before, the Ukrainian advance into Gladosovo and Travnevoye, which is west of the Svetodarsk arc, took elements of the Ukrainian 54th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade into an area Basurin claimed gave Ukrainian forces "no tactical advantage", due to it being surrounded by heights. The volunteer 24th "Aydar" Battalion also took part in the capturing of the villages.
The Svetodarsk region, which is primarily a road between Artemovsk surrounded by lakes, north of the Svetodarsk arc -- and a main logistics hub for the Ukrainians in the region -- and Debaltsevo, has been a severe issue between the fighting forces since the fall of Debaltsevo in February, 2015. The month long battle was extremely bloody for both sides, including the rebels who captured the town.
Since early 2015, Ukrainians attempted to mount two major attacks meant to break the line of dug in rebel troops in front of Logvinovo. Logvinovo is the only settlement of any size on the highway between Artemovsk and Debaltsevo. The attacks were costly for the Ukrainians. The rebels have yet to reveal the extent of their losses.
Col. Basurin pointed out in another news release that the failure of the Frunze attack could be laid solely at General Muzenko's feet.
Now, according to a separate news account in Vesti-ukr.com, the attack on Frunze is being characterized as "unauthorized", which could be true, since Col. Basurin hasten to add in another account that responsibility for the failed attack was not on the newly appointed Ukrainian commander in the region, Lt. General Mykhailo Zabrodsky.
According to the vesti-ukr.com account, adviser to Ukrainian president Piotr Poroshenko, Yury Biryukov said the attack was undertaken by unidentified officers within the staff of the 58th Motorized Rifle Brigade, who were "seeking glory."
Lugansk
Rebels and Ukrainian media said that both sides exchanged artillery fire in Lugansk.
Ukrainian media said that the rebels fired 82mm mortar fire into Krymskoye on Sunday.
Rebels said that Ukrainian forces fired 82mm and 120mm mortar fire on towns south and east of the Svetodarsk region, including at Kalinovka, Kalinovo, Logvinovo and Slavyanoserbsk.
Donetsk
On Monday, Ukrainian media reported exchanges of gunfire in southern Donetsk, at Vodnovo and Gnutovo. Near Donetsk city, rebels fired on Ukrainian positions at Avdievka.
On Sunday, according to a news report in gorlovka-pravda.dn.ua, a residential building in Zaitsevo was destroyed by fire after it was hit by Ukrainian artillery fire.
Also on Sunday, the Donetsk ministry of defense website said that two more buildings in Dokuchaevsk were damaged from Ukrainian direct fire from infantry fighting vehicles and from heavy machine guns.
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..
Saturday, November 25, 2017
More on the Ukrainian occupation of Gladosovo -- Correction
For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately.
Correction: According to data supplied by rebel officials in Donetsk, the OSCE never appeared in Gladosovo.
By Chris Covert
Russian backed rebel forces claimed that the video released purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers passing out canned good to residents of Gladosovo was staged, according to Russian language new accounts.
Two days ago, on the night of November 22nd to November 23rd, elements of the Ukrainian 58th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade occupied the villages of Gladosovo and Travnevoye, both of which are close to the line of contact north of rebel held Gorlovka/Zaitsevo.
Both villages were considered to be in a gray zone, which neither side occupies. But due to a change in Ukrainian basic tactics since the spring of 2016, Ukrainian forces have been moving forces into those zones, actions which have shown to be so far, relatively cost free to the Ukrainians.
Ukrainian military media claimed that their forces north of Gorlovka/Zaitsevo took over several kilometers.
However, the latest rebel reports show that the Ukrainian hold on the newly acquired territory is tenuous at best.
According to a new article which appeared in Russian sponsored Russkaya Vesna new website, a Donetsk military film crew, covered by Donetsk special forces, managed to get within a kilometer of Gladosovo in daylight, and, from an uncovered height, took video footage purportedly showing Ukrainian forces digging in to the villages.
Rebel media claimed to have reports that the canned food filmed being passed out to residents in Gladosovo, were actually requisitioned from a local market, by elements of the 24th Aidar Battalion, part of the initial force entering Gladosovo.
According to a news account which appeared in lb.ua, the communications staff asked that volunteers refrain from commenting on social media data on Ukrainian troop deployments and activities. It has been said in rebel media in the last two days that rebel forces were able to quickly assemble backing forces for immediate deployment to the line of contact.
So far, not in any media has there been an indication that the newly redeployed rebel forces have had any involvement in the attack on Frunze in Lugansk and in the former gray areas north of Gorlovka. It is entirely possible that the newly activated rebel forces had shown to Ukraine military that subsequent plans, which rebel media claimed were in the works, would have to be scrapped.
Ukrainian media claim that Gladosovo and other locales had been denied access to food, gas and power had not been addressed by rebel media.
A recent news announcement from Donetsk Lt. Colonel Eduard Basurin, said that only one dirt road goes in to Gladosovo, and it is being constantly washed out by the weather.
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.
Correction: According to data supplied by rebel officials in Donetsk, the OSCE never appeared in Gladosovo.
By Chris Covert
Russian backed rebel forces claimed that the video released purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers passing out canned good to residents of Gladosovo was staged, according to Russian language new accounts.
Two days ago, on the night of November 22nd to November 23rd, elements of the Ukrainian 58th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade occupied the villages of Gladosovo and Travnevoye, both of which are close to the line of contact north of rebel held Gorlovka/Zaitsevo.
Both villages were considered to be in a gray zone, which neither side occupies. But due to a change in Ukrainian basic tactics since the spring of 2016, Ukrainian forces have been moving forces into those zones, actions which have shown to be so far, relatively cost free to the Ukrainians.
Ukrainian military media claimed that their forces north of Gorlovka/Zaitsevo took over several kilometers.
However, the latest rebel reports show that the Ukrainian hold on the newly acquired territory is tenuous at best.
According to a new article which appeared in Russian sponsored Russkaya Vesna new website, a Donetsk military film crew, covered by Donetsk special forces, managed to get within a kilometer of Gladosovo in daylight, and, from an uncovered height, took video footage purportedly showing Ukrainian forces digging in to the villages.
Rebel media claimed to have reports that the canned food filmed being passed out to residents in Gladosovo, were actually requisitioned from a local market, by elements of the 24th Aidar Battalion, part of the initial force entering Gladosovo.
According to a news account which appeared in lb.ua, the communications staff asked that volunteers refrain from commenting on social media data on Ukrainian troop deployments and activities. It has been said in rebel media in the last two days that rebel forces were able to quickly assemble backing forces for immediate deployment to the line of contact.
So far, not in any media has there been an indication that the newly redeployed rebel forces have had any involvement in the attack on Frunze in Lugansk and in the former gray areas north of Gorlovka. It is entirely possible that the newly activated rebel forces had shown to Ukraine military that subsequent plans, which rebel media claimed were in the works, would have to be scrapped.
Ukrainian media claim that Gladosovo and other locales had been denied access to food, gas and power had not been addressed by rebel media.
A recent news announcement from Donetsk Lt. Colonel Eduard Basurin, said that only one dirt road goes in to Gladosovo, and it is being constantly washed out by the weather.
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.
Rebels say the November 23rd attack in Frunze was just a start
For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately.
According to data supplied by rebel officials in Donetsk, the OSCE never appeared in Gladosovo.
By Chris Covert
Russian backed rebels in Lugansk said Saturday that they suspect the Ukrainian forces will attempt further attacks similar to the attack on November 23rd, according to Russian language and Ukrainian news accounts.
According to the rebels' own briefing, which appeared on an official Lugansk rebel government website, the rebels found intelligence that the Ukrainian were preparing a number of probes into rebel positions across the P66 highway, which has been an issue between the two sides since early 2015.
According to Lugansk ministry of defense spokesman Lt. Colonel Andei Marochko, Ukrainian commanders were preparing to use night and winter weather to press their attacks.
Since 2016, Ukrainian commanders have changed their tactics to find and occupy gray zones between the two forces and then occupy them, and then reinforce them. The tactic seems to at first create a favorable tactical position, especially since rebel forces are dug in all long the line of contact, and must then either adjust to the new occupation, or change their own deployment strategy.
The day before the November 23rd attack on Frunze in far northern rebel held Lugansk, Ukrainian military spokesmen announced capturing of ground in a gray zone, according to a news account which appeared in the Ukrainian Russian language news outlet, korrespondent.net.
Rebel media only days before announced that Ukrainian forces occupied the village of Gladosovo, forcing residents by threat of arms to stay indoors. Ukrainian media said that the village of Travnevoye was taken as well. A video release on a private military channel showed very well equipped Ukrainian soldiers, passing out canned goods to civilian residents. The video also indicated that both villages are without power.
Donetsk rebel media said that some residents of Gladosovo were evicted, or were forced to quarter Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian military media has denied the charges.
According to a separate news account in korrespondent.net, Ukrainian plans were to occupy a much larger area north of Gorlovka, but those plans were trimmed when they were revealed on social media.
In a separate news release, Lt. Col. Marochko hinted that the attacks were intended to be diversionary attacks to keep rebel forces occupied as Ukrainian forces move into other territory. Ukrainians would stay aware of the rebels' reaction through the use of drones and other intelligence gathering techniques.
According to Russian military journalist, Boris Rozhin writing in his Live Journal blog, one part of the attack force was a straggler who sat out the night and then was captured by rebel patrols. A video was released showing the soldier in a rebel trench receiving first aide.
The soldier so far has been identified only as Roman, a Ukrainian intelligence officer, according to rebel reports. Rozhin said he will be in the next prisoner exchange, coming up soon.
The Lugansk rebel government has released photographs showing the aftermath of the encounter, some of them grisly displays.
Much of this increased activity can be attributed to the appointment of Lt. Gen. Mykhailo Zabrodsky to command Ukrainian military forces in southeastern Ukraine.
Lt. Gen. Mykhailo Zabrodsky has been a commander in the Ukrainian civil war since the very start, heading, among others, the Ukrainian 95th Separate Airmobile Brigade. Lt. Gen. Mykhailo Zabrodsky has trained at the US Army's command and staff school in Fort Leavenworth.
It is worth adding at this point that Lugansk and Donetsk military officials have been cooperating recently in sweeping areas in Lugansk and near the Donetsk border for sabotage groups which may have infiltrated into Lugansk. Donetsk has sent military units to aid former Lugansk president Igor Plotnitsky in the past.
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.
According to data supplied by rebel officials in Donetsk, the OSCE never appeared in Gladosovo.
By Chris Covert
Russian backed rebels in Lugansk said Saturday that they suspect the Ukrainian forces will attempt further attacks similar to the attack on November 23rd, according to Russian language and Ukrainian news accounts.
According to the rebels' own briefing, which appeared on an official Lugansk rebel government website, the rebels found intelligence that the Ukrainian were preparing a number of probes into rebel positions across the P66 highway, which has been an issue between the two sides since early 2015.
According to Lugansk ministry of defense spokesman Lt. Colonel Andei Marochko, Ukrainian commanders were preparing to use night and winter weather to press their attacks.
Since 2016, Ukrainian commanders have changed their tactics to find and occupy gray zones between the two forces and then occupy them, and then reinforce them. The tactic seems to at first create a favorable tactical position, especially since rebel forces are dug in all long the line of contact, and must then either adjust to the new occupation, or change their own deployment strategy.
The day before the November 23rd attack on Frunze in far northern rebel held Lugansk, Ukrainian military spokesmen announced capturing of ground in a gray zone, according to a news account which appeared in the Ukrainian Russian language news outlet, korrespondent.net.
Rebel media only days before announced that Ukrainian forces occupied the village of Gladosovo, forcing residents by threat of arms to stay indoors. Ukrainian media said that the village of Travnevoye was taken as well. A video release on a private military channel showed very well equipped Ukrainian soldiers, passing out canned goods to civilian residents. The video also indicated that both villages are without power.
Donetsk rebel media said that some residents of Gladosovo were evicted, or were forced to quarter Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian military media has denied the charges.
According to a separate news account in korrespondent.net, Ukrainian plans were to occupy a much larger area north of Gorlovka, but those plans were trimmed when they were revealed on social media.
In a separate news release, Lt. Col. Marochko hinted that the attacks were intended to be diversionary attacks to keep rebel forces occupied as Ukrainian forces move into other territory. Ukrainians would stay aware of the rebels' reaction through the use of drones and other intelligence gathering techniques.
According to Russian military journalist, Boris Rozhin writing in his Live Journal blog, one part of the attack force was a straggler who sat out the night and then was captured by rebel patrols. A video was released showing the soldier in a rebel trench receiving first aide.
The soldier so far has been identified only as Roman, a Ukrainian intelligence officer, according to rebel reports. Rozhin said he will be in the next prisoner exchange, coming up soon.
The Lugansk rebel government has released photographs showing the aftermath of the encounter, some of them grisly displays.
Much of this increased activity can be attributed to the appointment of Lt. Gen. Mykhailo Zabrodsky to command Ukrainian military forces in southeastern Ukraine.
Lt. Gen. Mykhailo Zabrodsky has been a commander in the Ukrainian civil war since the very start, heading, among others, the Ukrainian 95th Separate Airmobile Brigade. Lt. Gen. Mykhailo Zabrodsky has trained at the US Army's command and staff school in Fort Leavenworth.
It is worth adding at this point that Lugansk and Donetsk military officials have been cooperating recently in sweeping areas in Lugansk and near the Donetsk border for sabotage groups which may have infiltrated into Lugansk. Donetsk has sent military units to aid former Lugansk president Igor Plotnitsky in the past.
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.
Friday, November 24, 2017
3 Ukrainians die in attack on rebel positions in Lugansk
For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately.
According to Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin, in his Live Journal blog and quoting Lugansk rebel Lt. Colonel Markov, three Ukrainian soldiers were killed. Story updated. Also, the rebels did take at least one prisoner. The sources I used did not mention prisoners.
By Chris Covert
A total of three and as many as eight Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an attempt to attack Russian backed rebels positions in northeastern Lugansk, according to a variety of Russian and Ukrainian language news reports.
According to an official statement posted on the Lugansk government website, a total of 15 effectives, two small squads from the Ukrainian 58th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, attempted to infiltrate south from their base at Krymsk towards the settlement of Frunze.
Their action would have required them to cross Highway P66, which has been contested since the winter of 2015.
According to the report, the probe ran into a minefield, where three Ukrainian soldiers died and another four were wounded. When the tactical commander decided to withdraw, an attack using mortars and heavy machine guns was initiated to cover their retreat.
The Russian sponsored website, Russkaya Vesna, quoting battalion commander Alexei Markov, reported that the probe made it as far as the northern verge of P66 when it hit the minefield. Markov also was quoted in the Russkaya Vesna article saying the engagement ranges were about 40 meters.
The Russkaya Vesna report quoted Markov saying that a total of four Ukrainians were killed and another three were wounded in the attack. Rebel forces reported two wounded.
Alexei Markov is commander of the "Ghost Battalion", which area of responsibility includes defense of P66. The "Ghost Battalion" is headquartered at Stakhanov-Alchevsk.
A newer report from the official Lugansk website said that the Ukrainians continue firing weapons in the direction of Frunze, Kalinovka, and at Zheloye using the main guns of BMP-2s, 120mm and 82mm mortars, RPGs and grenade launchers.
According to the Russian language Ukraine news website, lb.ua, a total of five Ukrainian soldiers were killed and four were wounded in the encounter. The report said that the fighting went on for eight hours, presumably through the night.
In southeastern Ukraine the weather is cold and snowy.
Donetsk
According to a Friday morning report which appeared on the official government website of Donetsk, Dokuchaevsk was hit again by Ukrainian artillery. A residential building was damaged in the Thursday mid afternoon attack.
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.
According to Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin, in his Live Journal blog and quoting Lugansk rebel Lt. Colonel Markov, three Ukrainian soldiers were killed. Story updated. Also, the rebels did take at least one prisoner. The sources I used did not mention prisoners.
By Chris Covert
A total of three and as many as eight Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an attempt to attack Russian backed rebels positions in northeastern Lugansk, according to a variety of Russian and Ukrainian language news reports.
According to an official statement posted on the Lugansk government website, a total of 15 effectives, two small squads from the Ukrainian 58th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, attempted to infiltrate south from their base at Krymsk towards the settlement of Frunze.
Their action would have required them to cross Highway P66, which has been contested since the winter of 2015.
According to the report, the probe ran into a minefield, where three Ukrainian soldiers died and another four were wounded. When the tactical commander decided to withdraw, an attack using mortars and heavy machine guns was initiated to cover their retreat.
The Russian sponsored website, Russkaya Vesna, quoting battalion commander Alexei Markov, reported that the probe made it as far as the northern verge of P66 when it hit the minefield. Markov also was quoted in the Russkaya Vesna article saying the engagement ranges were about 40 meters.
The Russkaya Vesna report quoted Markov saying that a total of four Ukrainians were killed and another three were wounded in the attack. Rebel forces reported two wounded.
Alexei Markov is commander of the "Ghost Battalion", which area of responsibility includes defense of P66. The "Ghost Battalion" is headquartered at Stakhanov-Alchevsk.
A newer report from the official Lugansk website said that the Ukrainians continue firing weapons in the direction of Frunze, Kalinovka, and at Zheloye using the main guns of BMP-2s, 120mm and 82mm mortars, RPGs and grenade launchers.
According to the Russian language Ukraine news website, lb.ua, a total of five Ukrainian soldiers were killed and four were wounded in the encounter. The report said that the fighting went on for eight hours, presumably through the night.
In southeastern Ukraine the weather is cold and snowy.
Donetsk
According to a Friday morning report which appeared on the official government website of Donetsk, Dokuchaevsk was hit again by Ukrainian artillery. A residential building was damaged in the Thursday mid afternoon attack.
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.
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Igor Plotnitsky flees to Russia
By Chris Covert
Igor Plotnitsky, former president of the breakaway republic of Lugansk, left his capital on Thursday, according to Russian and Ukrainian news accounts.
Plotnitsky's forced departure from Lugansk and Ukraine comes after a tumultuous three and a half year term as president, which saw him weather charges of murdering some of his formation commanders, and a car bomb attack against him last summer.
According to a news item which appeared in novorosinform.org, Plotnitsky left Lugansk city with a motorcade which included his personal security detail. He was allowed entry at the Izvarino Border Control Point. His security detail were not allowed to enter Russia with him, and were forced to return to Lugansk.
As a matter of disclosure, novorosinform.org is a product of former reserve FSB Colonel Igor Girkin, the Russian operative which aided in starting the rebellion that took over Lugansk and Donetsk in early 2014. Colonel Girkin said a few years back in a radio interview in St. Petersburg, that he was primarily responsible for the takeover of Crimea.
The most immediate cause for Plotnitsky's departure was when he fired the head of the Lugansk Ministry for State Security, Igor Cornet, on November 20th. Cornet refused to go.
The issue between the two appeared to be Plotnitsky's charge of a coup, which emerged just before the bombing attack on him in early August. Since that time, two more incidents took place, relative to the problems Plotnitsky was having.
The first was the murder of two Lugansk People's Republic deputies for the People's Council, a legislative body for Lugansk.
Anatoly Krivonosov and Inna Kuznetsova, a married couple, were found murdered on the night of 26 to 27 August, 2017 in a house in the Kamennobrodsky district of Lugansk. Both were fighters in the early days of the rebellion. Krivonosov was formerly commander of the Dawn battalion. At one point in 2014 during the fighting, Plotnitsky held that post as well.
Almost three weeks later came the news from a leaked transcript of comments from a closed session of the Duma by Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozakin. The transcript indicated that Russia was considering reducing its financial support of the two breakaway republics, Donetsk and Lugansk. According to a regnum.ru article, which first reported the remarks, money being used to support the two republics would be shifted to two other projects.
The first project was an infrastructure improvements for Kaliningrad, to include money to build a new ferry, and money for fiber optic cable for the region.
The second was monies for unspecified projects in the recently annexed Crimea.
According to data supplied by the Russian sponsored news website, Russkaya Vesna (Russian Spring), two days after Cornet's refusal to leave the MVD, Cornet issued a report that Plotnitsky's charges of a coup against his government contained elements that were falsified.
The two alleged leaders of the coup, Vitaly Kiselyov and Gennady Tsypkalov were detained at the time in late fall of 2016 on charges of fomenting the attack on Plotnitsky's government. Tsypkalov was allegedly tortured to death of unidentified persons working for Plotnistky, probably from the same Ministry of State Security headed by Cornet.
The report specifically named Lugansk Attorney General Aleksey Oleinik, and were confirmed by the head of investigations in the Lugansk attorney general's office, Leonid Tkachenko, effectively implicating Tkachenko in charges of falsifying criminal charges.
The issues of falsification of charges came from a statement made by Alexander Semenchenko, who was formerly an employee with the Lugansk prosecutor's office. A current official in Plotnistky's government, Minister of Agriculture Ruslan Sorokovenko, had previously uncovered misconduct within Plotnitsky's government, especially the Attorney General office, in what has been described a "grave crimes", a Russian euphemism for murder.
Among the many problems Plotitsky had was his ability to say the right things in public, and his drive to trade with the Ukrainians. Many of his problems with his, now dead, formation commanders was their grumbling that Plotnitsky was trading coal and grains to the Ukrainians for cash. Most of the commanders in Lugansk were ethnic Cossack and nearly all but a few are now dead. Plotnitsky and his government disclaim their responsibility for those deaths.
Although Plotnitsky stated on more than one occasion his desire to return Lugansk to Russian control, a news story was leaked this month, probably a planted story, that he was open to returning Lugansk to Ukrainian control.
As for the troops on the streets of the capitol of Lugansk, according to Camopedia, their camouflage pattern suggests they are Lugansk MVD, although Russian MVD troops have been known to use the pattern as well. Their AK-74s appear to be well worn suggesting they were reissued from Russian government stocks some time ago.
Chris Covert writes Eastern European/Russian military news. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Igor Plotnitsky, former president of the breakaway republic of Lugansk, left his capital on Thursday, according to Russian and Ukrainian news accounts.
Plotnitsky's forced departure from Lugansk and Ukraine comes after a tumultuous three and a half year term as president, which saw him weather charges of murdering some of his formation commanders, and a car bomb attack against him last summer.
According to a news item which appeared in novorosinform.org, Plotnitsky left Lugansk city with a motorcade which included his personal security detail. He was allowed entry at the Izvarino Border Control Point. His security detail were not allowed to enter Russia with him, and were forced to return to Lugansk.
As a matter of disclosure, novorosinform.org is a product of former reserve FSB Colonel Igor Girkin, the Russian operative which aided in starting the rebellion that took over Lugansk and Donetsk in early 2014. Colonel Girkin said a few years back in a radio interview in St. Petersburg, that he was primarily responsible for the takeover of Crimea.
The most immediate cause for Plotnitsky's departure was when he fired the head of the Lugansk Ministry for State Security, Igor Cornet, on November 20th. Cornet refused to go.
The issue between the two appeared to be Plotnitsky's charge of a coup, which emerged just before the bombing attack on him in early August. Since that time, two more incidents took place, relative to the problems Plotnitsky was having.
The first was the murder of two Lugansk People's Republic deputies for the People's Council, a legislative body for Lugansk.
Anatoly Krivonosov and Inna Kuznetsova, a married couple, were found murdered on the night of 26 to 27 August, 2017 in a house in the Kamennobrodsky district of Lugansk. Both were fighters in the early days of the rebellion. Krivonosov was formerly commander of the Dawn battalion. At one point in 2014 during the fighting, Plotnitsky held that post as well.
Almost three weeks later came the news from a leaked transcript of comments from a closed session of the Duma by Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozakin. The transcript indicated that Russia was considering reducing its financial support of the two breakaway republics, Donetsk and Lugansk. According to a regnum.ru article, which first reported the remarks, money being used to support the two republics would be shifted to two other projects.
The first project was an infrastructure improvements for Kaliningrad, to include money to build a new ferry, and money for fiber optic cable for the region.
The second was monies for unspecified projects in the recently annexed Crimea.
According to data supplied by the Russian sponsored news website, Russkaya Vesna (Russian Spring), two days after Cornet's refusal to leave the MVD, Cornet issued a report that Plotnitsky's charges of a coup against his government contained elements that were falsified.
The two alleged leaders of the coup, Vitaly Kiselyov and Gennady Tsypkalov were detained at the time in late fall of 2016 on charges of fomenting the attack on Plotnitsky's government. Tsypkalov was allegedly tortured to death of unidentified persons working for Plotnistky, probably from the same Ministry of State Security headed by Cornet.
The report specifically named Lugansk Attorney General Aleksey Oleinik, and were confirmed by the head of investigations in the Lugansk attorney general's office, Leonid Tkachenko, effectively implicating Tkachenko in charges of falsifying criminal charges.
The issues of falsification of charges came from a statement made by Alexander Semenchenko, who was formerly an employee with the Lugansk prosecutor's office. A current official in Plotnistky's government, Minister of Agriculture Ruslan Sorokovenko, had previously uncovered misconduct within Plotnitsky's government, especially the Attorney General office, in what has been described a "grave crimes", a Russian euphemism for murder.
Among the many problems Plotitsky had was his ability to say the right things in public, and his drive to trade with the Ukrainians. Many of his problems with his, now dead, formation commanders was their grumbling that Plotnitsky was trading coal and grains to the Ukrainians for cash. Most of the commanders in Lugansk were ethnic Cossack and nearly all but a few are now dead. Plotnitsky and his government disclaim their responsibility for those deaths.
Although Plotnitsky stated on more than one occasion his desire to return Lugansk to Russian control, a news story was leaked this month, probably a planted story, that he was open to returning Lugansk to Ukrainian control.
As for the troops on the streets of the capitol of Lugansk, according to Camopedia, their camouflage pattern suggests they are Lugansk MVD, although Russian MVD troops have been known to use the pattern as well. Their AK-74s appear to be well worn suggesting they were reissued from Russian government stocks some time ago.
Chris Covert writes Eastern European/Russian military news. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Ukrainian forces captures village in northeastern Donetsk
Ukrainian forces captured a village just three kilometers from the line of contact in northeastern Donetsk, according to an official statement from the Donetsk military leadership.
Gladosovo was captured by elements of the Ukrainian 54th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade and a smaller element of the Aidar volunteer battalion, according to the statement.
The Ukrainian coup is of some importance because it represents another small cost free incursion into rebel held territory. It is a familiar Ukrainian pattern to move forces into a gray zone, which neither force occupies. Gladosovo is just 2 kilometers northeast of the village of Zaistevo, itself under siege and Ukrainian artillery fire since two years ago. Zaistevo itself is directly adjacent to the larger town of Gorlovka.
A previous Ukrainian operation in the spring of 2015, the first of its kind, allowed Ukrainian forces to bring the only hard road that connects Gorlovka to the capital city of Donetsk under observation of Ukrainian artillery spotters. That action forced changes in how civilian traffic was allowed to move between the locales.
Several small scale direct and indirect fire engagements between the two combatants have taken place since then, most notably the artillery dual, that for a time knocked out water service to both sides of the line of contact.
According to the Donetsk statement, when Ukrainian forces entered the village on the night of November 21st to November 22nd, all the residents were ordered to stay indoors under the threat of force.
The statement also said the Ukrainian mortars were deployed to the village and the area around the village was being mined.
At the moment, little media from the Ukrainian side has addressed the operation.
Since two weeks before the Gladosovo operation, larger artillery exchanges have taken place around the western Donetsk town of Dokuchaevsk, which is south of Donetsk. It is unclear in official and private reports exactly why this specific area is subject to increased artillery fire.
The most recent reports from the Ukrainian side say that the usual point are involved in attack from the rebels, such as Avdievka and Zaistevo, and further south near the Sea of Azov in Pavlopol and Vodanoye.
Donetsk military officials say that Dokuchaevsk has been under Ukrainian artillery fire for more than two weeks, and in that time 17 structures were damaged. The rebels also showed a damaged Ukrainian drone shot down over Dokuchaevsk, which the rebel claim has been used to adjust artillery fire.
Spokesman for the Donetsk ministry of defense said that the drone belonged to the Ukrainian 28th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade.
<strong>Lugansk</strong>
Ukrainian military media said that Ukrainian units came under fire from a variety of military weapons and vehicles.
Ukrainian positions were hit by rebel IFVs. 120mm and 82mm mortar fire, and from heavy infantry weapons. Rebel mortars were reported hit Ukrainian position in Novoaleksandrovka and Luganskoye.
IFV fire was recorded hitting Ukrainian positions at Stanitsa Luganskaya, Svetlodarsk arc, Novotoshkovskoye, Krymskoye, Novolugansk and Boguslavskoye.
Gladosovo was captured by elements of the Ukrainian 54th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade and a smaller element of the Aidar volunteer battalion, according to the statement.
The Ukrainian coup is of some importance because it represents another small cost free incursion into rebel held territory. It is a familiar Ukrainian pattern to move forces into a gray zone, which neither force occupies. Gladosovo is just 2 kilometers northeast of the village of Zaistevo, itself under siege and Ukrainian artillery fire since two years ago. Zaistevo itself is directly adjacent to the larger town of Gorlovka.
A previous Ukrainian operation in the spring of 2015, the first of its kind, allowed Ukrainian forces to bring the only hard road that connects Gorlovka to the capital city of Donetsk under observation of Ukrainian artillery spotters. That action forced changes in how civilian traffic was allowed to move between the locales.
Several small scale direct and indirect fire engagements between the two combatants have taken place since then, most notably the artillery dual, that for a time knocked out water service to both sides of the line of contact.
According to the Donetsk statement, when Ukrainian forces entered the village on the night of November 21st to November 22nd, all the residents were ordered to stay indoors under the threat of force.
The statement also said the Ukrainian mortars were deployed to the village and the area around the village was being mined.
At the moment, little media from the Ukrainian side has addressed the operation.
Since two weeks before the Gladosovo operation, larger artillery exchanges have taken place around the western Donetsk town of Dokuchaevsk, which is south of Donetsk. It is unclear in official and private reports exactly why this specific area is subject to increased artillery fire.
The most recent reports from the Ukrainian side say that the usual point are involved in attack from the rebels, such as Avdievka and Zaistevo, and further south near the Sea of Azov in Pavlopol and Vodanoye.
Donetsk military officials say that Dokuchaevsk has been under Ukrainian artillery fire for more than two weeks, and in that time 17 structures were damaged. The rebels also showed a damaged Ukrainian drone shot down over Dokuchaevsk, which the rebel claim has been used to adjust artillery fire.
Spokesman for the Donetsk ministry of defense said that the drone belonged to the Ukrainian 28th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade.
<strong>Lugansk</strong>
Ukrainian military media said that Ukrainian units came under fire from a variety of military weapons and vehicles.
Ukrainian positions were hit by rebel IFVs. 120mm and 82mm mortar fire, and from heavy infantry weapons. Rebel mortars were reported hit Ukrainian position in Novoaleksandrovka and Luganskoye.
IFV fire was recorded hitting Ukrainian positions at Stanitsa Luganskaya, Svetlodarsk arc, Novotoshkovskoye, Krymskoye, Novolugansk and Boguslavskoye.
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Rebel government minister hurt in car bomb attack
A finance minister for the breakaway republic of Donetsk was wounded in a car bombing, according to an official Russian language news account.
Alexander Timofeev, Donetsk People's Republic minister of finance, was in a car when a bomb was detonated Saturday morning.
According to a news account in Sputnik, there were two explosions. Timofeev was listed a in critical condition.
According to RIA Novosti, Timofeev suffered head injuries in the attack.
Russian military journalist said that Timofeev was not hurt in the explosion. In his blog post he hinted that the attempt on Timofeev was an internal conflict. He also said that August's attempt on Plotnitsky was also an internal matter. He also said that a rumor circulating in Donetsk was the Zakharchenko was on his way out and that Timoffev was suggested as a possible replacement.
According to lb.ua, Timofeev was commander of the rebel combat formation Oplot, which fought at the Donetsk airport until it fell into rebel hands in February, 2015
Two other bombing attempts on rebel officials were made in August, according to Sputnik. A bomb was found near the personal residence of Donetsk president Aleksandr Zakharcheko.
Another assassination attempt earlier in August was made on Lugansk president Igor Plotnitsky. In that incident,a roadside bomb was detonated, resulting in mild injuries
Both republics' officials are likely to be under increased pressure with the news a week ago that Russian Federation humanitarian would end in the 2018 Russian fiscal year.
Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin said that Timofeev was not hurt in the explosion. In his blog post, he hinted that the attempt on Timofeev was an internal government conflict gone hot. He said first, however, that the possibility that Ukrainian aligned groups were responsible for the attack as the most likely explanation.
He also said that August's attempt on Plotnitsky was also an internal matter. He also said that a rumor circulating in Donetsk was that Timofeev was suggested as a possible second in command for Zakharchenko.
Alexander Timofeev, Donetsk People's Republic minister of finance, was in a car when a bomb was detonated Saturday morning.
According to a news account in Sputnik, there were two explosions. Timofeev was listed a in critical condition.
According to RIA Novosti, Timofeev suffered head injuries in the attack.
Russian military journalist said that Timofeev was not hurt in the explosion. In his blog post he hinted that the attempt on Timofeev was an internal conflict. He also said that August's attempt on Plotnitsky was also an internal matter. He also said that a rumor circulating in Donetsk was the Zakharchenko was on his way out and that Timoffev was suggested as a possible replacement.
According to lb.ua, Timofeev was commander of the rebel combat formation Oplot, which fought at the Donetsk airport until it fell into rebel hands in February, 2015
Two other bombing attempts on rebel officials were made in August, according to Sputnik. A bomb was found near the personal residence of Donetsk president Aleksandr Zakharcheko.
Another assassination attempt earlier in August was made on Lugansk president Igor Plotnitsky. In that incident,a roadside bomb was detonated, resulting in mild injuries
Both republics' officials are likely to be under increased pressure with the news a week ago that Russian Federation humanitarian would end in the 2018 Russian fiscal year.
Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin said that Timofeev was not hurt in the explosion. In his blog post, he hinted that the attempt on Timofeev was an internal government conflict gone hot. He said first, however, that the possibility that Ukrainian aligned groups were responsible for the attack as the most likely explanation.
He also said that August's attempt on Plotnitsky was also an internal matter. He also said that a rumor circulating in Donetsk was that Timofeev was suggested as a possible second in command for Zakharchenko.
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Russia to cut funds for Donetsk, Lugansk
According to an article that appeared in regnum.ru, during a September 1st meeting with deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak it was announced that the money normally used for aiding the breakaway republic, 165 million rubles (USD $2,864,584.80), will be shifted to Crimea and to Kalinigrad.
An additional 85 million rubles (USD $1,475,695.20) are to be spent on infrastructure projects in Crimea. Other monies are to be spent in Kaliningrad include for a fiber optic data cable and a new ferry line.
The article goes on to state that, thus far, the meeting was held to flesh out proposals; that all of the line items are proposals. Press requests to one of Russian president Vladimir Putin's aides, Dmitry Peskov and another to the finance ministry have so far been left unanswered.
Both Lugansk and Donetsk have been recipients of Russian financial aide in paying for pensions of local residents that Ukraine has refused to pay. How this shifting of money will affect the pensioners is left unstated.
If the proposals come to fruition, it appears to be a clear signal to the West that Russia is ready to abandon its support of the two republics to their fate at the Minsk negotiating table.
A recent proposal from Putin to use UN peacekeeping troops in the region has been met with approval from the civil leadership of Lugansk and Donetsk, an idea soundly rejected by Ukraine. Despite the lack of news and the relative calm in the region, both sides routinely take pot shots at one another daily, and both sides are causing casualties.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
2 Lugansk deputies found murdered
Google translations is really messing with Russian to English translations. korrespondent.net didn't help any with all the scare quotes. Story slightly rewritten.
The General Prosecutor's Office of the People's Republic of Lugansk, a Russian backed separatist entity, opened a criminal investigation into the murder of two deputies of the People's Council of the People's Republic of Lugansk in a private house in Lugansk on the night of 26 to 27 August.
Said Deputy Prosecutor General of the People's Republic of Lugansk, Grigory Tsevenko: "In the Kamennobrodsky district of the city of Lugansk on the night of 26 to 27 August in private housing, there were two persons found dead who were deputies of the People's Council of the People's Republic of Lugansk."
According to Tsevenko, a criminal investigation was begun.
A separate account posted in Lugansk official government website identified the decedents as Anatoly Krivonosov and Inna Kuznetsova, a married couple. According to a commenter on the Facebook page of former Donetsk foreign minister, Aleksandr Koffman, both had served as fighters in the Dawn Battalion in 2014, when the civil war in southeastern Ukraine began.
According to Russian Wikipedia, the Dawn Battalion, known by its Russian spelling Zarya, was formerly commanded by now Lugansk president Igor Plotnitsky. The unit is now designated 1st Motorized Infantry Brigade.
"At the moment, the criminal case is undergoing urgent investigative actions and operational-search activities in order to establish all the circumstances of the crime and those who committed it," added Tsevenko.
"Data on the victims of the criminal case and other circumstances of the crime are not disclosed in the interests of the investigation," added Tsevenko.
The General Prosecutor's Office of the People's Republic of Lugansk, a Russian backed separatist entity, opened a criminal investigation into the murder of two deputies of the People's Council of the People's Republic of Lugansk in a private house in Lugansk on the night of 26 to 27 August.
Said Deputy Prosecutor General of the People's Republic of Lugansk, Grigory Tsevenko: "In the Kamennobrodsky district of the city of Lugansk on the night of 26 to 27 August in private housing, there were two persons found dead who were deputies of the People's Council of the People's Republic of Lugansk."
According to Tsevenko, a criminal investigation was begun.
A separate account posted in Lugansk official government website identified the decedents as Anatoly Krivonosov and Inna Kuznetsova, a married couple. According to a commenter on the Facebook page of former Donetsk foreign minister, Aleksandr Koffman, both had served as fighters in the Dawn Battalion in 2014, when the civil war in southeastern Ukraine began.
According to Russian Wikipedia, the Dawn Battalion, known by its Russian spelling Zarya, was formerly commanded by now Lugansk president Igor Plotnitsky. The unit is now designated 1st Motorized Infantry Brigade.
"At the moment, the criminal case is undergoing urgent investigative actions and operational-search activities in order to establish all the circumstances of the crime and those who committed it," added Tsevenko.
"Data on the victims of the criminal case and other circumstances of the crime are not disclosed in the interests of the investigation," added Tsevenko.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Back to school ceasefire begins in Ukraine
Both sides in the ongoing conflict between Russian backed militants and Ukrainian soldiers have agreed to a "Back to School ceasefire, set to begin at midnight Friday, August 25th, according to Russian language news accounts.
The ceasefire is expected to last for a week, to August 31st.
The region was supposed to have a Harvest Time ceasefire July 31st, but that broke down quickly.
Both sides have been party to numerous ceasefire since the first one in the fall of 2014, when the war in southeastern Ukraine went hot; but both sides have done very little maintain the ceasefires.
As with most modern ceasefires, both side have been getting their licks in before the deadline.
The Ukrainian ministry of defense said in a news report posted on lb.ua, that rebel mortar fire was reported in Lugansk, near Novoaleksandrovka and Katerinovka.
Rebel mortar fire was reported at Avdievka and further south, at Chermalyk.
Rebel media reports that Ukrainian medium and heavy mortar fire was reported at Gorlovka, and near Mariupol.
A separate report posted on Colonel Igor Gikin's V Kontackte page, quoting unidentified militant spokesmen, said that Ukrainian artillery hit Yasinovataya and at the airport. Small arms fighting was reported in Spartak, which is directly adjacent to the Donetsk airport and in Lugansk at Kalinovo.
A later rebel news release on the website of the Donetsk ministry of defense noted that Ukrainian heavy guns have been silent since midnight.
The ceasefire is expected to last for a week, to August 31st.
The region was supposed to have a Harvest Time ceasefire July 31st, but that broke down quickly.
Both sides have been party to numerous ceasefire since the first one in the fall of 2014, when the war in southeastern Ukraine went hot; but both sides have done very little maintain the ceasefires.
As with most modern ceasefires, both side have been getting their licks in before the deadline.
The Ukrainian ministry of defense said in a news report posted on lb.ua, that rebel mortar fire was reported in Lugansk, near Novoaleksandrovka and Katerinovka.
Rebel mortar fire was reported at Avdievka and further south, at Chermalyk.
Rebel media reports that Ukrainian medium and heavy mortar fire was reported at Gorlovka, and near Mariupol.
A separate report posted on Colonel Igor Gikin's V Kontackte page, quoting unidentified militant spokesmen, said that Ukrainian artillery hit Yasinovataya and at the airport. Small arms fighting was reported in Spartak, which is directly adjacent to the Donetsk airport and in Lugansk at Kalinovo.
A later rebel news release on the website of the Donetsk ministry of defense noted that Ukrainian heavy guns have been silent since midnight.
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Rebels say Ukrainians use press gangs
Ukrainian press gangs are roaming the streets of a town in northern Lugansk, gathering draft age men to be inducted into the Ukrainian military, according to Russian language news accounts.
Colonel Andrei Marochko, who is a spokesman for the rebel-led Lugansk ministry of defense said in prepared remarks, that in Stanitsa Luganskaya, draft age men were being taken from work and pubs to the local hospitals for draft physicals.
Afterwards, the men are warned to go home to await induction notices.
The Russian backed rebel forces in Lugansk and Donetsk have had their share of problems in recruiting for their forces. In the first two years, rebel have had their choice of volunteers, especially from abroad and not just from Russia.
But bloody fighting in Debaltsevo two years ago, and news reports of how foreigners were being deployed put a damper on recruiting. Also, foreign ministries have placed blocks on travel to the Donbas region, adding to the problems of recruiting.
Similarly, the Ukrainians have had a difficult time getting draft age men to show up after they are issued draft notices. Very few professional Ukrainian military want a fight with the Russians, so very few recruits want one as well.
The Ukrainians do not release figures on failures to appear for military service, but rebel media has speculated that the problem is widespread.
In his remarks Col. Marochko charged the Ukrainians are likely to use the new draftees as covering forces, the first to be fired on, and to die.
New recruits in Donetsk and Lugansk have been treated that way in the past as well.
Colonel Andrei Marochko, who is a spokesman for the rebel-led Lugansk ministry of defense said in prepared remarks, that in Stanitsa Luganskaya, draft age men were being taken from work and pubs to the local hospitals for draft physicals.
Afterwards, the men are warned to go home to await induction notices.
The Russian backed rebel forces in Lugansk and Donetsk have had their share of problems in recruiting for their forces. In the first two years, rebel have had their choice of volunteers, especially from abroad and not just from Russia.
But bloody fighting in Debaltsevo two years ago, and news reports of how foreigners were being deployed put a damper on recruiting. Also, foreign ministries have placed blocks on travel to the Donbas region, adding to the problems of recruiting.
Similarly, the Ukrainians have had a difficult time getting draft age men to show up after they are issued draft notices. Very few professional Ukrainian military want a fight with the Russians, so very few recruits want one as well.
The Ukrainians do not release figures on failures to appear for military service, but rebel media has speculated that the problem is widespread.
In his remarks Col. Marochko charged the Ukrainians are likely to use the new draftees as covering forces, the first to be fired on, and to die.
New recruits in Donetsk and Lugansk have been treated that way in the past as well.
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Ukrainians say rebels are deliberately starting fires
Ukrainian military officials are saying the Russian backed rebels are using their artillery and direct fire gunnery to deliberately start fires in built up areas in Donetsk and Lugansk, according to Russian language sources.
A news report which appeared in lb.ua quoted a Ukrainian military officials saying that rebel artillery and small arms fire in Zaitsevo and in Stanitsa Luganskaya are being set on purpose, by using the prevailing eastern winds in the region to blow fires toward built up areas and in areas where Ukrainian troops are dug in.
According to another lb.ua report, almost 75 acres of forest were burned in Lugansk due to rebel overnight gunfire.
In Zaitsevo, Ukrainian military officials released images they say are of residential buildings damage by fire. According to that report, Ukrainian forces did not return fire.
Yet another lb.ua report said that rebel overnight attacks in Avdievka last until midnight. Ukrainian officials said their forces responded with counterbattery fire and suppressed the rebel artillery.
The same report also stated that mortar and direct fire heavy weapons were fired at Zaitsevo for near two hours.
In Lugansk, rebel mortar fire was reported in Krymskoye and Novotoshkovsk areas. Rebels fired heavy machine gun fire into Novoaleksandrovka and Stanitsa Luganskaya.
In southern Donetsk, rebel mortar fire landed on Vodnovo and in Shirokino.
Rebel media said that Ukrainian forces hit Bezymennoye with 122mm rocket artillery overnight. The attack came a day after Ukrainian forces said that the rebels used 122mm rocket artillery Monday to Tuesday night near Peski, for a total of 16 rounds.
Rebel media said the Ukrainians fired 10 rounds at their forces. Bezymennoye is in the south in the Mariupol region. the artillery fire came from the direction of Shirokino. The report said that a joint Russian/Ukrainian observation post was nearby when the Bezymennoye attack took place.
Rebel media said that the charge that they used 122mm rocket artillery lies.
A separate rebel report said that Ukrainian artillery in Gorlovka, Yasinovatskaya, and the village of Gorky damaged or destroyed 11 residential buildings. All the Ukrainian artillery fire reported took place overnight.
A news report which appeared in lb.ua quoted a Ukrainian military officials saying that rebel artillery and small arms fire in Zaitsevo and in Stanitsa Luganskaya are being set on purpose, by using the prevailing eastern winds in the region to blow fires toward built up areas and in areas where Ukrainian troops are dug in.
According to another lb.ua report, almost 75 acres of forest were burned in Lugansk due to rebel overnight gunfire.
In Zaitsevo, Ukrainian military officials released images they say are of residential buildings damage by fire. According to that report, Ukrainian forces did not return fire.
Yet another lb.ua report said that rebel overnight attacks in Avdievka last until midnight. Ukrainian officials said their forces responded with counterbattery fire and suppressed the rebel artillery.
The same report also stated that mortar and direct fire heavy weapons were fired at Zaitsevo for near two hours.
In Lugansk, rebel mortar fire was reported in Krymskoye and Novotoshkovsk areas. Rebels fired heavy machine gun fire into Novoaleksandrovka and Stanitsa Luganskaya.
In southern Donetsk, rebel mortar fire landed on Vodnovo and in Shirokino.
Rebel media said that Ukrainian forces hit Bezymennoye with 122mm rocket artillery overnight. The attack came a day after Ukrainian forces said that the rebels used 122mm rocket artillery Monday to Tuesday night near Peski, for a total of 16 rounds.
Rebel media said the Ukrainians fired 10 rounds at their forces. Bezymennoye is in the south in the Mariupol region. the artillery fire came from the direction of Shirokino. The report said that a joint Russian/Ukrainian observation post was nearby when the Bezymennoye attack took place.
Rebel media said that the charge that they used 122mm rocket artillery lies.
A separate rebel report said that Ukrainian artillery in Gorlovka, Yasinovatskaya, and the village of Gorky damaged or destroyed 11 residential buildings. All the Ukrainian artillery fire reported took place overnight.
Monday, August 21, 2017
3 die in fighting in Donetsk
A total of two soldiers from the Ukrainian army and one from the the Russian backed rebel forces were killed in the Sunday evening attack in northern Donetsk, according to Russian language news accounts.
According to a statement posted on the website of the Donetsk ministry of defense webpage the Ukrainians lost two killed in action and another five were wounded in the probe they launched.
Rebel media said that one soldier was killed in the operation.
The Ukrainian ministry of defense denied the operation even took place, and has said that the news of it originated in social media.
On Monday, Ukrainian said that five of their soldiers were wounded in Donetsk in ongoing shelling.
A report posted on the website of lb.ua said that rebel artillery fire on Avdievka, Peski and Opytnoye from 1800 yrs to midnight. Rebels used 82mm and 120mm mortars, and, according to the report, 16 rounds from a 122mm rocket artillery platform, BM-21.
One Ukrainian soldier were wounded in Opynoye.
The news report also said that Ukrainian commanders in the area offered the rebels a ceasefire, to which they agreed. But the rebels subsequently violated the ceasefire.
A separate report from lb.ua said that rebel fire hit Avdievka and Zaitsevo Monday evening. Rebel commanders used mortars at first before switching to BMP-2 and small arms fire.
Another report said that rebel fire damaged nine buildings in Zaitsevo Monday afternoon, while intending to hit residential buildings. All the buildings damaged were agricultural or other non residential buildings.
Rebel mortar fire was reported at 0500 hrs Monday in Lugansk, around Troiskoye.
Rebel media said that Ukrainian artillery fire hit Gorlovka Monday afternoon, which is directly adjacent to Zaitsevo, causing nearby fields to burn.
According to a statement posted on the website of the Donetsk ministry of defense webpage the Ukrainians lost two killed in action and another five were wounded in the probe they launched.
Rebel media said that one soldier was killed in the operation.
The Ukrainian ministry of defense denied the operation even took place, and has said that the news of it originated in social media.
On Monday, Ukrainian said that five of their soldiers were wounded in Donetsk in ongoing shelling.
A report posted on the website of lb.ua said that rebel artillery fire on Avdievka, Peski and Opytnoye from 1800 yrs to midnight. Rebels used 82mm and 120mm mortars, and, according to the report, 16 rounds from a 122mm rocket artillery platform, BM-21.
One Ukrainian soldier were wounded in Opynoye.
The news report also said that Ukrainian commanders in the area offered the rebels a ceasefire, to which they agreed. But the rebels subsequently violated the ceasefire.
A separate report from lb.ua said that rebel fire hit Avdievka and Zaitsevo Monday evening. Rebel commanders used mortars at first before switching to BMP-2 and small arms fire.
Another report said that rebel fire damaged nine buildings in Zaitsevo Monday afternoon, while intending to hit residential buildings. All the buildings damaged were agricultural or other non residential buildings.
Rebel mortar fire was reported at 0500 hrs Monday in Lugansk, around Troiskoye.
Rebel media said that Ukrainian artillery fire hit Gorlovka Monday afternoon, which is directly adjacent to Zaitsevo, causing nearby fields to burn.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Rebel forces repel a Ukrainian attack near Donetsk city
According to a news release posted on the Donetsk ministry of defense webpage, elements of the Ukrainian 57 Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade attempted to breakthrough near northern Donetsk city, near Zhabunka area Sunday night.
The news release said the attacks were made in conjunction with an earlier artillery attack in Petrovsky, Kiev and Kuibyshevsky districts of western Donetsk city. This is the first time in a while that Ukrainian artillery has landed in all three western Donetsk districts at once. Yasinovataya, Staromikhailovka, Avdievka and the Donetsk airport were all reported hit with Ukrainian fire just before the attack.
Ukrainian forces used heavy artillery and BMP-2 autocannon fire in their attacks.
Earlier in the evening Ukrainian forces hit rebel positions at Trudovskie and in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk. Firefighters in Trudovskie came under Ukrainian artillery fire. One unidentified firefighter, said to be a commander of a firefighting unit in the village, was killed in the attack. Two more were wounded.
Rebel media said that more than 150 artillery shells were fired in the course of the preparatory phase of the attack.
Rebel media has not specified the size of the attack, casualties, nor its estimates of casualties from the Ukrainians, which would indicate the attack was yet another probe intended to test the defenses of the rebels.
Ukrainian media did not comment on the attacks, but did note that a rumor floating around social media that their forces attempted to cross the line of contact at the Svetlodarsk arc, which is in northeastern Donetsk, was untrue.
The rumor was that an unidentified Ukrainian motorized rifle brigade, possibly the Ukrainian 58th Motorized Rifle Brigade, advanced two kilometers passed the line of contact and had dug in. The denial sounded an awful lot like a description of the Ukrainian attack in the past in the Svetlodarsk area last spring, which turned out to have been denied by rebel forces dug in in that area.
Elsewhere, in Lugansk, according to a news report posted in lb.ua, rebel forces hit several Ukrainian held towns with 82mm and 120mm mortars including Novotoshkovskovo, Novoaleksandrovka and Troitskoye.
One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in the mortar attack in Popasnaya.
Ukrainian media also said that rebel struck Ukrainian positions at Peski and at Avdievka.
Further south rebel artillery was recorded at Pavlopol and Chermalyk.
Saturday, August 19, 2017
1 dead, 5 wounded in shelling in SE Ukraine
According to a news article posted on the website of lb.ua, one Ukrainian soldier died in a rebel mortar attack in the town of Avdievka late Wednesday night. He was identified as Sergei Ruchka, part of the Ukrainian 72 Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade.
The following day, the rebels hit Avdievka and Zaitsevo with artillery in the early evening. but no casualties were reported by the Ukrainians.
Rebel artillery fire was reported in the south near the coast of the Sea of Azov, at Bogdanovka and further north at Marinka.
Thursday evening morning towards midnight rebel shelling resumed, again hitting Avdievka. Ukrainian artillery units fired counterbattery fire in return, reportedly suppressing rebel artillery.
One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in one of the fire exchanges.
In Krimea, in Lugansk, one Ukrainian soldier was wounded in rebel mortar attacks.
Rebel 82mm mortar and heavy machine gun fire was directed in the south near Mariupol, at Chermalyk, Pavlopol, Lebedinsky and Shirokino.
One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in the attacks.
The Donetsk ministry of defense posted a news release that said overnight artillery attacks Thursday in Zaitsevo hit power lines, casting the village into darkness. One unidentified woman was wounded in the attacks. Rebel media said the Ukrainian artillery attacks lasted for several hours.
One Friday, Ukrainian shelling continued near Gorlovka and near Mariupol.
According to news reports compiled at novorosinform.org, separate unofficial militia reports claimed that the Ukrainians were firing on the Donetsk airport and at nearby Spartak on Friday.
Further south, rebel and Ukrainian mortar crews exchanged fire near Dokuchaevsk. In the south near the Mariupul region, rebel forces at Sakhanka and Kominternovo were were hit with Ukrainian heavy artillery and tank gun fire.
Lugansk
A spokesman for the Lugansk ministry of defense, Colonel Andrei Marochko, reported that on Friday, Ukrainian artillery struck rebel positions at Frunze, Kalinovo village and the village of Kalinovo-Borshchevatoy.
According to Colonel Marochko, rebel front line troops in Lugansk have been experiencing additional pressure in the form of patrols from the Ukrainian 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, the 53rd and 58th Separate Motorized Rifle brigades.
Some of the patrols were characterized as probes, small tactical attacks used to test an enemy's defenses and reactions to fire.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
4 die in fighting in southeastern Ukraine
Four soldiers from the Ukrainian army and Russian backed rebel forces died in ongoing fighting in Donetsk, according to Russian language news accounts.
The Ukrainian news daily lb.ua said in a Wednesday report that rebel shelling in Avdievka, which is in the northern area of Donetsk city, killed one Ukrainian soldier and wounded one other.
Rebels shelled Staragnatovka using a variety of heavy weapons Wednesday night from 1800 hrs to midnight including BMP-2 and tank main gun fire, wounding one Ukrainian soldier.
The report went on to say that rebel shelling on Zaitsevo, which is just north of Gorlovka damaged an undisclosed number of residences. The report also said that observers with the International Committee of the Red Cross were present when rebels started their attack. The Ukrainians did not return fire.
No one was wounded in the attack.
The rebels have denied the attacks even took place, according to a statement released on the Donetsk ministry of defense web page.
Quoting Donetsk military official Lt. Colonel Eduard Basurin, military commanders were "extremely surprised" by the news of rebel artillery fire in Zaitsevo. The Ukrainian news release came from the Ukrainian 128th Separate Mountain Infantry Brigade.
The Ukrainians subsequently responded with a number of photographs detailing the destruction in Zaitsevo. Three residences were damaged in the attack, according to a separate report, which was in the website of lb.ua.
According to rebel media, a Russian news television crew came under Ukrainian fire in Holmovsky, which is apparently just adjacent to Gorlovka. No injuries were reported in the attack.
A separate rebel news release said that three Donetsk soldiers were killed in Ukrainian artillery attack, but it did not elaborate where and under what circumstances.
Rebel media said that Ukrainian overnight artillery fire damaged three residential buildings in Spartak, which is near the Donetsk airport.
Another three residential buildings were damaged in Ukrainian overnight shelling on Dokuchaevsk, which is just south of Donetsk city.
Other rebel reports say that Ukrainian artillery hit several rebel held locales in southern Donetsk, near Mariupol.
Rebels shelled Staragnatovka using a variety of heavy weapons Wednesday night from 1800 hrs to midnight including BMP-2 and tank main gun fire, wounding one Ukrainian soldier.
The report went on to say that rebel shelling on Zaitsevo, which is just north of Gorlovka damaged an undisclosed number of residences. The report also said that observers with the International Committee of the Red Cross were present when rebels started their attack. The Ukrainians did not return fire.
No one was wounded in the attack.
The rebels have denied the attacks even took place, according to a statement released on the Donetsk ministry of defense web page.
Quoting Donetsk military official Lt. Colonel Eduard Basurin, military commanders were "extremely surprised" by the news of rebel artillery fire in Zaitsevo. The Ukrainian news release came from the Ukrainian 128th Separate Mountain Infantry Brigade.
The Ukrainians subsequently responded with a number of photographs detailing the destruction in Zaitsevo. Three residences were damaged in the attack, according to a separate report, which was in the website of lb.ua.
According to rebel media, a Russian news television crew came under Ukrainian fire in Holmovsky, which is apparently just adjacent to Gorlovka. No injuries were reported in the attack.
A separate rebel news release said that three Donetsk soldiers were killed in Ukrainian artillery attack, but it did not elaborate where and under what circumstances.
Rebel media said that Ukrainian overnight artillery fire damaged three residential buildings in Spartak, which is near the Donetsk airport.
Another three residential buildings were damaged in Ukrainian overnight shelling on Dokuchaevsk, which is just south of Donetsk city.
Other rebel reports say that Ukrainian artillery hit several rebel held locales in southern Donetsk, near Mariupol.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
6 Ukrainian soldiers killed in fighting in southern Donetsk
According to an announcement by the Donetsk ministry of defense, two ten man patrols were caught near Kominterovo at around 2100 hours Tuesday night, under the cover of darkness. Rebel claim the patrols were an attempt to breakthrough.
Both sides routinely send out patrols. From the sound and tenor of the reports, the Ukrainian action was more likely a probe, intended to test rebel response time and strength in the area.
One Ukrainian patrol stumbled into a minefield, and apparently touched off the rebel's response. The Ukrainians were forced to withdraw under cover of mortar and grenade fire from the Ukrainian 59th Separate Motorized Rifle brigade.
In other news, three rebel soldiers were killed and another 13 from rebel and Ukrainian sides were wounded in ongoing shelling in eastern Ukraine, according to Russian language news accounts.
According to a news report which appeared in lb.ua, a total of 10 residences were burned in shelling by Russian backed rebels in Verkhnetoretskoe village in the Yasinovataya region of northeastern Donetsk city.
Yasinovataya has been a violent point of contention between the two combatants ever since Ukrainian units pushed into the region in a bid to cut off Gorlovka from Donetsk last year. The area the Ukrainians occupy overlooks the only hard topped road to connect Gorlovka with Donetsk city. It also is near the location of a water filtration plant which services both sides of the line of contact.
According to a separate lb.ua report three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in what was termed non stop overnight shelling which began at 1800 hrs and lasted to 0100 hrs Monday morning. Most of the shelling took place in the Avdievka industrial zone which is in the eastern part of Avdievka.
The report also stated that rebels shelled Ukrainian positions near Vodyanoye and Shirokino, which is close to the coast of the Sea of Azov, near Mariupol.
Rebel fired 120mm mortars at Ukrainian positions in Lugansk near Krymsky.
According to another lb.ua article by Monday morning, another five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in shelling, most of it in Avdievka, and in the Mariupol region in southern Donetsk.
According to the Donetsk ministry of defense web page, a total of three rebel soldiers were killed in shelling since Sunday.
On Sunday, according to rebel media, one rebel soldier was killed in Ukrainian shelling. The announcement did not elaborate as to location. Yet another separate rebel report said another two rebel soldiers were killed on Monday, but the location and circumstances were not revealed as well.
Another rebel report said that a total of 14 residences were burned in northern Donetsk city, specifically near Yasinovataya, in Spartak, Petrovsky district of Donetsk and in the south at Sakhanka.
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