Just a day after Ukrainian volunteer soldiers left a local water plant, nearby cities are starting to experience water shortages, according to Russian language news account.
On Friday, members of the Ukrainian volunteer regiment "Azov" took over the water filtration plant in eastern Avdievka. The plant has been under Ukrainian artillery fire for three days before with some rounds even hitting the building plant itself. Last Thursday, water plant personnel left the plant because of the artillery fire.
The water plant has held a unique status since the start of the war 30 months ago. An agreement between the two warring sides left the plant and its operation intact. Some of that changed last year when Ukrainian forces moved forces into a gray zone -- where neither side's forces were allowed -- effectively cutting off the main road between Donetsk and Gorlovka, which is north of the area of the plant's location. That move effectively put the plant much closer to the Ukrainian side.
A news release by the Donetsk ministry of defense said that Ukrainian forces continued to reinforce areas near to the plant, despite the Ukrainians' exit..
When the Ukrainian forces began their occupation of the plant, according to rebel media, they brought a mortar team with them and began shelling Yasinovataya, which is east of the main road between Donetsk and Gorlovka. The rebels charged that the Ukrainian plan was to make an artillery fire point that the rebel would not hit. Destroying the water plant with artillery would deny water to people and villages on both sides of the line of contact.
On Sunday, rebel forces hit a nearby pumping station with artillery and with artillery delivered mines, according to Ukrainian Russian language news accounts. That attack threatens to leave parts of Avdievka, which is Ukrainian occupied, with only two days of water left. And with the mines on the ground, special measures will have to be taken to ensure the safety of repair crews.
Since Sunday, two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and five more have been wounded, according to a news account in lb.ua.
On Sunday, rebel forces hit areas near Mariupol with mortar fire, including Vodyanoye, Mainka and Shirokino. Near Donetsk, rebel mortar fire was reported near Avdievka, Luganskoye and Kamenka. Rebel tank gun fire (125mm) was reported at Peski and the Butkova mone.
On Monday, according to a news report in lb.ua, rebel mortar fire hit areas near Mariupol including at Vodyanoye, Novotroitskoye and Pavlopol. rebel mortar fire was reproted at villages near Donetsk including at Troiskoye, Novoluganskoye, Opytnoye, Avdievka, Shakhta Butovka, Luganskoye and Vodyanoye.
The journalism of Chris Covert
Monday, February 27, 2017
Friday, February 24, 2017
5 more Ukrainian soldiers wounded in fighting in Donetsk
Both sides in the civil war in southeastern Ukraine have stepped up fighting, resulting in five more wounded Ukrainian soldiers on Friday, according to Russian language news reports..
According to a news account in lb.ua, one Ukrainian soldier was killed in action on Thursday.
The news article reported that Russian backed militants fired mortar strikes on Ukrainian positions at Vodyaskoye, near Mariupol near the Sea of Azov. There also was a report of a rebel BMP-2 firing on Ukrainian positions at Shirokino.
Near Donetsk city, rebel forces fired mortar fire on Zaitsevo, which is north of Gorlovka, and on Troitskoye and Avdievka, which is south.
A separate news account in lb.ua said that work in the water filtration plant near Yasinovataya has stopped and personnel have been evacuated due to rebel fire. The plant serves both sides on the line, Ukrainian and rebel, including Avdievka and Krasnogorovka on the Ukrainian side, and in Donetsk city, Yasinovataya, Vasilevka and Spartak.
According to the report a projectile hit the plant, leading to the decision to stop work. In recent days the work at the plant has stopped due to power outages caused by mortar fire.
Rebels claim the plant was hit eight times with 122mm artillery, which was fired from Ukrainian occupied Avdievka and Kamenka, according to a news release from the Donetsk ministry of defense.
Rebel media reported that direct fire combat took place in a number of different areas along the line of contact. Among them was along the Svetodarsk arc, which is directly north of Logvinovo, where rebel forces have parts of a rifle company dug in.
Exchanges of mortars and small arms fire have been reported in Gorlovka, Spartak and at the Donetsk airport.
In Novoazovskiy, which is on the coast of the Sea of Azov, mortar fire and small arms combat have been reported
According to a news account in lb.ua, one Ukrainian soldier was killed in action on Thursday.
The news article reported that Russian backed militants fired mortar strikes on Ukrainian positions at Vodyaskoye, near Mariupol near the Sea of Azov. There also was a report of a rebel BMP-2 firing on Ukrainian positions at Shirokino.
Near Donetsk city, rebel forces fired mortar fire on Zaitsevo, which is north of Gorlovka, and on Troitskoye and Avdievka, which is south.
A separate news account in lb.ua said that work in the water filtration plant near Yasinovataya has stopped and personnel have been evacuated due to rebel fire. The plant serves both sides on the line, Ukrainian and rebel, including Avdievka and Krasnogorovka on the Ukrainian side, and in Donetsk city, Yasinovataya, Vasilevka and Spartak.
According to the report a projectile hit the plant, leading to the decision to stop work. In recent days the work at the plant has stopped due to power outages caused by mortar fire.
Rebels claim the plant was hit eight times with 122mm artillery, which was fired from Ukrainian occupied Avdievka and Kamenka, according to a news release from the Donetsk ministry of defense.
Rebel media reported that direct fire combat took place in a number of different areas along the line of contact. Among them was along the Svetodarsk arc, which is directly north of Logvinovo, where rebel forces have parts of a rifle company dug in.
Exchanges of mortars and small arms fire have been reported in Gorlovka, Spartak and at the Donetsk airport.
In Novoazovskiy, which is on the coast of the Sea of Azov, mortar fire and small arms combat have been reported
Thursday, February 23, 2017
2 Ukrainian soldiers wounded in Donetsk fighting
A total of two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in fighting on the line of contact in Donetsk, according to Russian language news accounts.
lb.ua also reported that Russian backed separatists attacked several locations in Donetsk and in Lugansk. Mortars were used on Ukrainian targets in Zaitsevo, which is north of Gorlovka, and on Kamenka, which is south of Donetsk city.
In Lugansk, separatists fired mortars on Ukrainian positions at Popasnaya and Novozvanovka.
A separate news account in lb.ua said the a Ukrainian paratrooper, identified as a deputy company commander Stanislav, used an anti tank guided missile to destroy a separatist BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle near Donetsk. Rebel troops immediately returned fire on Ukrainian positions.
Direct fire combat has been reported by rebel media in the Svetodarsk region, which include Gorlovka, Zaitsevo, and Logvinovo, all areas which have rebel troops dug in. Mortar fire on rebel positions in Zaitsevo, Gorlovka, and Petrovka have been reported.
Ukrainian artillery has once again hit the water filtration plant near Yasinovataya, which serves the population on both sides of the line, but according to a report in Novorosinform.org, plant operations continued without stopping.
According to a spokesman for the Lugansk ministry of defense, Lt. Colonel Andrey Marochko, Ukrainian mortar fire hit rebel targets in Lugansk, including at Kalinovka, Loginovo, Kalinovo and Lozovoye.
It has been reported in rebel media that Ukrainian mortar fire has been interspersed with fireworks shows in Donetsk city commemorating a Russian military holiday.
lb.ua also reported that Russian backed separatists attacked several locations in Donetsk and in Lugansk. Mortars were used on Ukrainian targets in Zaitsevo, which is north of Gorlovka, and on Kamenka, which is south of Donetsk city.
In Lugansk, separatists fired mortars on Ukrainian positions at Popasnaya and Novozvanovka.
A separate news account in lb.ua said the a Ukrainian paratrooper, identified as a deputy company commander Stanislav, used an anti tank guided missile to destroy a separatist BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle near Donetsk. Rebel troops immediately returned fire on Ukrainian positions.
Direct fire combat has been reported by rebel media in the Svetodarsk region, which include Gorlovka, Zaitsevo, and Logvinovo, all areas which have rebel troops dug in. Mortar fire on rebel positions in Zaitsevo, Gorlovka, and Petrovka have been reported.
Ukrainian artillery has once again hit the water filtration plant near Yasinovataya, which serves the population on both sides of the line, but according to a report in Novorosinform.org, plant operations continued without stopping.
According to a spokesman for the Lugansk ministry of defense, Lt. Colonel Andrey Marochko, Ukrainian mortar fire hit rebel targets in Lugansk, including at Kalinovka, Loginovo, Kalinovo and Lozovoye.
It has been reported in rebel media that Ukrainian mortar fire has been interspersed with fireworks shows in Donetsk city commemorating a Russian military holiday.
Ukrainian security service stages kidnapping of deputy
A deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's national parliament, was a participant is a staged kidnapping by Ukraine's top security agency, the SBU, according to Ukrainian language news accounts.
Alexey Goncharenko reportedly was taken by a group of armed men in Kiev Thursday morning according to a news account in korrespondent.net. He was released unharmed only a few hours later
Goncharenhko is a member of Ukrainian president Petr Poroshenko's voting block.
According to numerous news accounts, the SBU received information that Goncharenko was the target of a plan to kidnap him, implemented by local separatists in the Odessa region. The articles say that video had surfaced involving a local government deputy in the village of Limanskoye in the Odessa region, identified as Aleksandr Kushnarev. Kushnarev is shown in the video discussing torture.
The plan, according to a separate news report which appeared in strana.ua, said that the SBU sponsored kidnapping was executed in order to deprive Kushnarev of a target.
News accounts say that Kushnarev's son was killed in the May 2nd, 2014 Odessa Trades Union Hall building fire, which Russian separatists claimed was a cover for brutal attacks against Russian speaking separatists by local groups tied to the then new Maidan Ukrainian government. Russian separatists claimed that most of the people killed in the incident were murdered, a charge which the government denies. It is stated in the articles that Kushnarev's plan was for vengeance for his son's death.
Yet another strana.ua report said that Kushnarev's son, identified as Gennady Kushnarev, at that time had been autopsied and the cause of death was said to be asphyxia caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. The autopsy also stated that Gennady was found in a pool of his own blood, which meant foul play could not be ruled out.
The Trades Union Hall fire is one of the galvanizing incidents which ethnic Russian separatists use as proof that the Ukrainian government intended to attack ethnic Russians in Ukraine.
According to the strana.ua report remarks by Goncharenko about the incident, which were characterized as flippant, angered Kushnarev. Goncharenko himself was not involved in the May 2nd, 2014 incident.
The strana.ua report said that Kushnarev planned to torture Goncharenko by using an acid attack, and by breaking his kneecaps. The report said that an Odessa local prosecutor, Oleg Zhuchenko, had ordered the arrest of three men including Kushnarev, all of whom were said to be involved in the planning of the kidnapping.
Instead of condemnation, the incident has received ridicule, some from deputies in Goncharenko's own voting block. Some of the responses has been to post production stills from obscure Ukrainian comedy films which depict a kidnapping.
Alexey Goncharenko reportedly was taken by a group of armed men in Kiev Thursday morning according to a news account in korrespondent.net. He was released unharmed only a few hours later
Goncharenhko is a member of Ukrainian president Petr Poroshenko's voting block.
According to numerous news accounts, the SBU received information that Goncharenko was the target of a plan to kidnap him, implemented by local separatists in the Odessa region. The articles say that video had surfaced involving a local government deputy in the village of Limanskoye in the Odessa region, identified as Aleksandr Kushnarev. Kushnarev is shown in the video discussing torture.
The plan, according to a separate news report which appeared in strana.ua, said that the SBU sponsored kidnapping was executed in order to deprive Kushnarev of a target.
News accounts say that Kushnarev's son was killed in the May 2nd, 2014 Odessa Trades Union Hall building fire, which Russian separatists claimed was a cover for brutal attacks against Russian speaking separatists by local groups tied to the then new Maidan Ukrainian government. Russian separatists claimed that most of the people killed in the incident were murdered, a charge which the government denies. It is stated in the articles that Kushnarev's plan was for vengeance for his son's death.
Yet another strana.ua report said that Kushnarev's son, identified as Gennady Kushnarev, at that time had been autopsied and the cause of death was said to be asphyxia caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. The autopsy also stated that Gennady was found in a pool of his own blood, which meant foul play could not be ruled out.
The Trades Union Hall fire is one of the galvanizing incidents which ethnic Russian separatists use as proof that the Ukrainian government intended to attack ethnic Russians in Ukraine.
According to the strana.ua report remarks by Goncharenko about the incident, which were characterized as flippant, angered Kushnarev. Goncharenko himself was not involved in the May 2nd, 2014 incident.
The strana.ua report said that Kushnarev planned to torture Goncharenko by using an acid attack, and by breaking his kneecaps. The report said that an Odessa local prosecutor, Oleg Zhuchenko, had ordered the arrest of three men including Kushnarev, all of whom were said to be involved in the planning of the kidnapping.
Instead of condemnation, the incident has received ridicule, some from deputies in Goncharenko's own voting block. Some of the responses has been to post production stills from obscure Ukrainian comedy films which depict a kidnapping.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
3 wounded in ongoing artillery fire in Donetsk
According to a news account published in lb.ua, two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in an artillery fire strike, but the report did not elaborate on the locations of the soldiers.
Meanwhile, the Russian backed rebel government of Donetsk from an official news release reported Wednesday that a single soldier was wounded by Ukrainian artillery fire. The rebel report as well did not note where the soldier was wounded.
According to various reports, both sides are trying to seek a solution to yet another ceasefire, quiet mode as it is commonly known in the region, but so far both sides have managed only to trade charges in addition to artillery fire.
The lb.ua report goes on to note that rebel artillery struck Ukrainian positions at Lebinsokoye and Shirokino Wednesday morning, using 122mm tube and rocket artillery platforms. Rebel 82mm mortar fire was reported at Luganskoye, near western Donetsk city.
Rebel media reported that Ukrainian mortar fire was recorded hitting rebel positions Wednesday morning at Yasinovataya, east of Donetsk city, and in Leninskoye and Kominternovo near the coast of the Sea of Azov, near Mariupol. Rebel media also noted Ukrainian small arms gunfire in numerous locations along the line of contact.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
9 Ukrainian soldiers wounded in separate incidents
A total of nine Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in separate incidents in the Donetsk region Tuesday, according to Ukrainian news reports.
According to a report in lb.ua, quoting the Ukrainian ministry of defense two soldiers were wounded in a Russian backed rebel artillery attack near Butovka mine near the Ukrainian held side of Donetsk.
The seven Ukrainian soldiers wounded were hurt in a bombing of a truck near Lebedinsky.
According to the lb.ua article, rebel forces attacked Ukrainian positions in Donetsk and Lugansk. Rebel forces fired 120mm mortars at Ukrainian positions in Novotroitskoye, which is near Mariupol on the coast of the Sea of Azov.
Both 120mm and 82mm mortars were used against Ukrainian positions near western Donetsk city, near Novoluganskiye, Avdievka and Zaistevo. An anti tank guided missile was used against Ukrainian forces on the front line in Lugansk.
According to the Donetsk ministry of defense, Ukrainian forces hit rebel positions Monday night to Tuesday morning using 82mm and 120mm mortar fire as well as RPG rockets, hitting Yasinovataya and Gorlovka. In the south near Mariupol, Ukrainian artillery hit rebel positions near Dokuchaevsk, Saganka and Novoazovskiy.
Rebel media also claimed that Ukrainian artillery damaged seven residence in Elenovka, which is southwest of Donetsk city. A residence in Dokuchaevsk was damaged by Ukrainian artillery fire.
According to a report in lb.ua, quoting the Ukrainian ministry of defense two soldiers were wounded in a Russian backed rebel artillery attack near Butovka mine near the Ukrainian held side of Donetsk.
The seven Ukrainian soldiers wounded were hurt in a bombing of a truck near Lebedinsky.
According to the lb.ua article, rebel forces attacked Ukrainian positions in Donetsk and Lugansk. Rebel forces fired 120mm mortars at Ukrainian positions in Novotroitskoye, which is near Mariupol on the coast of the Sea of Azov.
Both 120mm and 82mm mortars were used against Ukrainian positions near western Donetsk city, near Novoluganskiye, Avdievka and Zaistevo. An anti tank guided missile was used against Ukrainian forces on the front line in Lugansk.
According to the Donetsk ministry of defense, Ukrainian forces hit rebel positions Monday night to Tuesday morning using 82mm and 120mm mortar fire as well as RPG rockets, hitting Yasinovataya and Gorlovka. In the south near Mariupol, Ukrainian artillery hit rebel positions near Dokuchaevsk, Saganka and Novoazovskiy.
Rebel media also claimed that Ukrainian artillery damaged seven residence in Elenovka, which is southwest of Donetsk city. A residence in Dokuchaevsk was damaged by Ukrainian artillery fire.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Ukrainian artillery temporarily shuts down water in Donetsk
Constant shelling by Ukrainian artillery shut down a water plant four days ago, and now power to run the back up systems has been damaged as well, according to rebel Russian language sources.
The damage caused by shelling four days ago affected all of Gorlovka city, which is directly adjacent to Donetsk city to the northeast. According to a news release posted by the Donetsk ministry of defense website, new damage to a water pump and transmission lines on both sides of the line of contact had effectively cut off water.
However, a recent report in Ukrainian media claimed that power has been restored and water to the Ukrainian side of the line has resumed. Rebel reports say that Ukrainian artillery fired on repair teams in Yasinovataya on Sunday. Artillery fire was later stopped by Ukrainian and Russian ceasefire observers so repairs could commence.
The intensified shelling which increased in recent weeks has been concentrated in northern Donetsk, Gorlovka and in Yasinovataya, and has been an issue between the two combatants since early last year. Ukrainian artillery, according to rebel news account, have been hitting checkpoints on roads that link Gorlovka and Donetsk.
According to lb.ua, quoting the Ukrainian ministry of defense, rebel 82mm mortars hit targets in Avdievka, Zaistevo and Troiskoye. The report also named a number of locales hit by rebel small arms fire including in Donetsk city and in the south near Mariupol.
Rebels say the Ukrainian artillery has hit targets in Donetsk city, Yasinovataya, Spartak and at the Donetsk airport. Rebels also claim that Ukrainian forces have been moving heavy weapons to the front.
The damage caused by shelling four days ago affected all of Gorlovka city, which is directly adjacent to Donetsk city to the northeast. According to a news release posted by the Donetsk ministry of defense website, new damage to a water pump and transmission lines on both sides of the line of contact had effectively cut off water.
However, a recent report in Ukrainian media claimed that power has been restored and water to the Ukrainian side of the line has resumed. Rebel reports say that Ukrainian artillery fired on repair teams in Yasinovataya on Sunday. Artillery fire was later stopped by Ukrainian and Russian ceasefire observers so repairs could commence.
The intensified shelling which increased in recent weeks has been concentrated in northern Donetsk, Gorlovka and in Yasinovataya, and has been an issue between the two combatants since early last year. Ukrainian artillery, according to rebel news account, have been hitting checkpoints on roads that link Gorlovka and Donetsk.
According to lb.ua, quoting the Ukrainian ministry of defense, rebel 82mm mortars hit targets in Avdievka, Zaistevo and Troiskoye. The report also named a number of locales hit by rebel small arms fire including in Donetsk city and in the south near Mariupol.
Rebels say the Ukrainian artillery has hit targets in Donetsk city, Yasinovataya, Spartak and at the Donetsk airport. Rebels also claim that Ukrainian forces have been moving heavy weapons to the front.
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