1 dead, 5 wounded in shelling in SE Ukraine

One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another five were wounded in Russian backed rebel shelling in Donetsk and Lugansk, according to Russian language news accounts.

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.