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

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 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.

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.

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..

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rebel forces repel a Ukrainian attack near Donetsk city

An attack by the Ukrainian forces in northern Donetsk was driven back by Russian backed rebels, according to Russian language news account.

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.

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.

6 Ukrainian soldiers killed in fighting in southern Donetsk

A total of six Ukrainian soldiers were killed while on patrol in southern Donetsk Tuesday, according to Russian language news reports.

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.

Rebels, Ukrainians suffer heavy casualties in southern Donetsk

The killed in action and wounded toll counts between Russian backed rebels and Ukrainian soldiers reached the double digits in southern Donetsk in a midday ground assault Monday afternoon, according to Russian and Ukrainian language news accounts.

Rebel media claimed the encounter took place in Kominernovo, which is 12 kilometers due east of Mariupol, on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov.

According to the website novorosinform.org. two Ukrainian rifle platoons (about 60 effectives) attacked rebel fixed positions supported by artillery fire, tanks and BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).  A total of 10 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and another five were wounded.  Various rebel media reports say the Ukrainians lost one BMP-1, and one tank was damaged.

Rebel media showed a reporter's video which showed some of the Ukrainian dead.  Rebel media characterized the attack as an attempt to break through the lines.  Rebel media also said that the Ukrainians were forced back t their start lines as a result of the attack.

The Donetsk ministry of defense said that the total dead for the Ukrainians at Kominternovo amounted to 12 dead and 16 wounded, two IFVs and two tanks damaged.

Starting on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov, the line of  Bezimennie-Sakhanka-Kominternovo has been the target of many weeks of artillery fire and small unit probes by the Ukrainians, including a small arms attack by sea.

According to korrespondent.net, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said that eight rebel soldiers were killed and 16 wounded.  A lb.ua report said that rebel artillery launched against Ukrainian positions included 152mm and 122mm artilery, 122mm rocket artillery, and 82mm and 120mm mortar fire into the area of Vodyanoye, which is only a few hundred meters south of Kominternovo.  Rebel media reported that Ukrainian artillery in southern Donetsk continued overnight at Kominternovo between March 20th and March 21st.

A subsequent report by the Donetsk ministry of defense said that Ukrainian artillery struck rebel positions in and around Yasinovataya for 90 minutes on Tuesday.  The Ukrainian ministry of defense, quoted by lb.ua, said that rebel artillery hit Ukrainian positions at Avdievka, Opytnoye, the Butovka mine and at Peski.

The reported losses at Kominternovo are some of the heaviest combat losses by both sides since last year, when Ukrainian forces attacked rebel positions along the Svetlodarsk arc, which is north of Debaltsevo.  In that battle, the Ukrainian attempt the break a large section of the rebel line using the same formula, light infantry supported by artillery, IFVs and tanks.  A subsequent attack near Yasinovataya attempted to break the rebel  line between Gorlovka and Donetsk, but that attack was stopped as well.

According to rebel bloggers the decision to make the attack on Kominternovo was made by a rifle company commander who had been drinking.

Despite nearly constant fighting and increasing combat experience since the fall of 2014, neither side is capable of forcing a decision anywhere along the line of contact.  The Russian backed rebels hold an extensive defensive system that Ukrainian forces have yet to break even after months of shelling.  The Ukrainian hold the same defensive system on their side of the line.

Donetsk water plant repairs delayed by artillery

Repairs on the Avdievka water filtration plant were delayed once again due to fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian backed rebels, according to Russian language news accounts.

Avdievka is a northern suburb of Donetsk city, and has been controlled by Ukrainian forces since the summer of 2014.

The water plant has been shut down numerous time since February 15th, when artillery exchanges between the two combatants forced the shutdown.  Since that time the plant has been fired on repeatedly, according to rebel media, either damaging the power lines that operate the plant, or by forcing personnel from working at the plant because of security concerns.

The water filtration plant serves all of Avdievka, as well as parts of Donetsk and nearby villages on both sides of the line of contact.

The latest outage is because of security concerns for electrical repair crews.

Physical damage to the plant has been limited to damage to the building and to power lines which service the plant.  Rebel say that last Saturday, Ukrainian forces fired small arms fire on vehicles carrying plant workers as they evacuated the water plant.  Ukrainian artillery has been blamed for damage to the power lines feeding the plant in Yasinovataya.

Yasinovataya has been a major issue between the two warring parties, after last year when Ukrainian forces moved into a gray zone in western Avdievka, making the line of contact much closer to the west.  Artillery fire from Ukrainian forces in Yasinovataya has been nearly a daily feature since that time.

Now Ukrainian media is claiming that rebel forces fired rocket artillery on Avdievka on Sunday, and it has been rebel artillery fire that has cut off Avdievka electricity.  Ukrainian media said rebel forces fired a total of ten rockets into the town.  The day before, Ukrainian media accused rebels of firing tank main gun fire on a high rise building in Avdievka.  Rebels claimed that the Ukrainian staged the attack for the benefit of Ukrainian electronic media.

According to a news account in lb.ua, two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and five more were wounded in the fighting Sunday.

The Ukrainian KIAs died in a firefight in southern Donetsk.  Although the exact location wasn't disclosed, Ukrainian media reports are that a firefight took place  in Marinka between a Ukrainian fixed position and a rebel probe.

Rebel artillery hit Ukrainian positions in the southern Donetsk region at Nikolaevka, while rebel mortars stuck Ukrainian positions at Slavnoye, Gnutovo, Pavlopol and Berezovoye.

Near Donetsk city, rebel mortars hit Ukrainian positions at  Butovka mine, Luganskovo and Nevelskovo.

In Lugansk, rebel mortars were reported hitting Ukrainian positions at  Ekaterinovka, Bolguslaskovo, Novoaleksievka and Popasnoye.

According to a report compilation, firefights and mortar attacks have been taking place at several points near Donetsk city including at the Donetsk airport, the Petroskiy district, Yasinovataya, Staromykailovka, Zaitsevo and Spartak.  Heavy artillery fire and ground combat have been taking place at Marinka, Yelenovka and Dokuchaevsk.

Near the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian artillery hit several locales including at Novoazovskoye, Sakhanka and Kominternovo.

The Donetsk ministry of defense reported that the March 4th seaborne attack by elements of the Ukrainian Navy aboard two small motor boats resulted in two Ukrainian dead and three wounded. One boat was heavily damaged in the attack and had to be towed back to Mariupol.

Conflicting casualty claims as fighting continues in northern Donetsk, Lugansk

By Chris Covert

Fighting continued sporadically in northern Donetsk and Lugansk Sunday and Monday as Russian backed rebels claim casualties for the Ukrainian forces rose to more than 100 dead, according to Ukrainian and Russian language news accounts.

The Ukrainian ministry of defense said in press sessions on Monday that the death toll for their side in the battles which began Sunday afternoon, totaled 15 dead and 30 wounded, according to a news account in lb.ua

In the first session Ukrainian military officials claimed a total of five dead while saying that rebels lost ten and 20 wounded in the fighting on Sunday.

Ukrainian military journalist Andrey Butusov was quoted in the lb.ua article as saying that Ukrainian top officials were deliberately low balling casualty figures.

Butusov said the actual number was six dead, albeit a small difference.

In a second press briefing the same day, Ukrainian military officials said in their daily press briefing that another five Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the fighting around Debaltsevo.

But former Ukrainian intelligence operative retired Ukrainian GRU Colonel Igor Bezler was quoted in Russkaya Vesna as saying the total dead for the fighting over two days was more than 100 with 400 wounded.  Bezler said in a social media posting that a military cordon had been placed around Artemovsk (recently renamed Bakhmut by the Ukrainians) to prevent locals from finding out how bad the losses were for Ukrainian forces.  He also said that military hospitals were filled with casualties from the fighting.

Both sides claim the other side launched the attacks.  Initial reports from yesterday from both Ukrainian and rebel media seem to confirm that the Ukrainians launched the attack, which was met with stiff resistance from dug in rebel troops.

Now, Ukrainians are saying that it was the rebel who struck first.

Ukrainian ministry of defense spokesman Colonel Andrei Lysenko was quoted in lb.ua saying that rebel artillery preparation began Sunday morning and was followed on with a ground attack that began at around 1330 hrs.

While the seeming objective of rebel forces was not clear in the press briefing, it was clear the Ukrainian were charging the rebel with trying to attack through the Svetodarsk arc, specifically the area between two lakes on either side of the main road that runs to Artemovsk.

That battle lasted 3.5 hours until 1700 hrs, when rebel reinforcements arrived to bolster their forces and a second push was initiated.  A third reinforcement arrived, according to Lysenko, that was two to five times the size of the second reinforcement.

The rebel attacks failed.  Ukrainian forces, according to Lysenko did not attempt a counterattack, despite massive rebel artillery fire.

An account by an unidentified Ukrainian soldier appearing in Censor.net.ua said that Ukrainian did counterattack in the area, but waited until rebel forces were very close before their forces finally arrived for their attack.

On the evening of December 19th, Ukrainian commanders, presumably near Kalinovka on the easternmost extent of the Svetodarsk arc, asked for a truce in order they may recover their dead and wounded, according to Lugansk military spokesman Major Andrei Marochko.  Marochko noted that a similar truce was requested on December 18th, which was apparently granted, but instead the Ukrainian used the respite to regroup for further fighting.

According to separate rebel media reports, the fighting has subsided, but artillery fires continue.

A separate news account which appeared on tsargrad.tv website said that fighting continued near Kalinovka on Monday.  According to Russkaya Vesna, rebel forces in Lugansk launched a counterattack against Ukrainian troops, but this writer could find no reference to a counterattack in any of Lugansk official web pages.

Ukrainian forces launch attack in northern Donetsk, Lugansk

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

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

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

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

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

In that report, Mysyagin said six were killed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Massive Ukrainian artillery attack hits in Donetsk overnight

by Chris Covert exclusively for SouthFront

More than 700 artillery shots were fired by Ukrainian artillery on Donetsk rebel positions in Donetsk Saturday night, among the most intense bombardments of the war, according to Russian language news accounts.

According to a new release posted on the website of the Donetsk ministry of defense, Ukrainian artillery fired included 152mm and 122mm artillery, and 120mm and 82mm mortars, for a total of 750 shots.  The intensity of the artillery firing from the Ukrainians has not been seen since before the autumn of 2015.  The total number of shells that fell on rebel positions was almost ten times the number from the previous night, 80.

Locations hit in Donetsk included Zaitsevo, Yasinovataya, Spartak, Staromykhailivka, the Kuybyshevsky district of Donetsk city and the Donetsk airport.

In the south near Mariupol, locations struck by Ukrainian artillery include Kominternovo and Sahanka.

A separate news release by the Donetsk ministry of defense said that 20 each 122mm artillery shells hit the Kuybyshevsky district of Doentsk city Saturday night.

The Ukrainian ministry of defense, as reported in lb.ua said that rebel artillery struck Ukrainian positions 70 times Friday night in the previous 24 hours.

Rebel artillery hit Ukrainian positions in Avdievka, Peski and Marinka.  In the south, rebel artillery hit Ukrainian positions in Shirokino, Granitnoye and Talakovsk.

Fighting on the ground in Donetsk

Donbas militants attempted several platoon level probes into Ukrainian positions at Marinka Thursday and Saturday nights, according to data supplied by the Ukrainian ministry of defense and reported in an lb.ua news report.

At 2100 hrs Thursday a rebel patrol armed with small arms and RPG rocket launchers probed into Ukrainian positions at Marinka, only to be driven back by Ukrainian counterfire.  The Ukrainian side reported no casualties in the encounter.  The report also said that rebel 82mm fire was reported at Marinka on Thursday evening.

At 1900 hrs on Saturday, two separate rebel patrols attempted to move into Ukrainian positions from two different directions.  The rebel losses amounted to eight dead, but the Ukrainian ministry refused to account for their own losses at all, which likely mean there were some losses.

Probes by both sides at Marinka are starting to become routine, with several taking place in the past week, with high losses reported.

Fighting in Lugansk

Ukrainian army units have fired mortars and small arms on Lugansk rebel positions, mainly focusing on the area around Kalinovo, according to data supplied by the Lugansk government information website.

It is unclear in those news releases just how much of the firing was done by mortars, but it is clear going by the most recent reports, rebel have to be worried about the location of the activity.

Kalinovo was one of the locations back in January, 2015, where rebel forces attempted to shut the lid on the Debaltsevo cauldron to little avail.  That failure forced rebel commanders to adjust their plans to close off  Debaltsevo, when the battle for Logvinova took place.

Saturday night Ukrainian fire hit positions near Kalinovo and Logvinova, including fire from 30mm autocannon, RPG fire and mortars.

Logvinova was attacked earlier this month  by a large Ukrainian combined arms force, attacks which struck a number of locations across a large front.  The attack was much like others before and since, where Ukrainian forces attempt to move their armed units into "gray zones", in order to initiate close quarters fighting, to force rebel forces back even further into their own defensive zones.  To date only the first, at Yasinovataya, has been successful.

A separate Lugansk government news release recounted how Ukrainian units are using their firepower to fight one another in Lugansk.

Artillery units with the Ukrainian Interior Ministry troops Lugansk-1 battalion shelled positions of the Ukrainian 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade.  The report claims that the shelling was intended to be reported as a rebel provocation.

Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com 

Losses continue to mount for Ukrainians in Donbas

by Chris Covert exclusively for SouthFront

The Ukrainian Army has lost as many as a dozen soldiers since Saturday, including a friendly fire incident in Lugansk, according to Russian language news report.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian ministry of defense says Russian backed rebels attempted to launch three  recon probes in the Marinka area in Donetsk and three probing attacks at Novozvanovki in Lugansk. All attacks were driven back,

According to the Lugansk government website, Lugansk police reported that a Ukrainian artillery fire mission on July 25th  fell on their own troops, killing six and wounding 20.

The news release did not mention where the attack took place. Direct fire battles have been taking place near Stanitsa Luganskaya in Lugansk in recent days. Stanitsa Luganskaya  has been an issue between the two combatants since the end of 2014.

According to the news release, and quoting Lugansk ministry of defense spokesman Andrei Marochko, artillery elements of the Ukrainian 93rd Mechanized Brigade adjusted an artillery fire mission which landed on the 30th Battalion, causing the casualties.

Rebel officials have been saying for more than  a year that friendly fire incidents such as the Stanitsa Luganskaya incident and minor incidents such as accidental firearms discharges account for a large number of Ukrainian casualties, and go unreported by top Ukrainian ministry of defense officials.

The official rebel report in Lugansk says Ukrainian commanders are trying to hide the losses suffered in the friendly fire incident.

Donbas rebel probes

Two rebel probes were detected and driven back in the Marina area of Donetsk on the night of July 25th to July 26th, according to data supplied by the Ukrainian ministry of defense, as reported on lb.ua,

The first attack was detected at 1907 hrs, said to be at platoon strength, but was driven back with small arms and automatic grenade launcher fire.  A second probe attempt at 1920 hrs was not successful as well.  The Ukrainian side said rebels suffered losses but did not describe the nature of the losses.

Last Thursday, as previously reported, one rebel and one Ukrainian foot patrol fought at Marinka with losses for the Ukrainians totaling one dead and one non commissioned officer captured,

A third rebel probe was engaged by Ukrainian troops at Avdievka on Monday evening at around 1720 hrs, according to the same lb.ua report.  Unspecified losses for the rebel side were reported by the Ukrainians.

A fourth rebel probe took place on Saturday morning, but was only reported on Monday in a separate lb.ua news report.

At around 0820 hrs, a rebel patrol was spotted at Novozvanovki in Lugansk, and was fired on by Ukrainian troops.  Two rebel effectives were killed in the exchange, and four were wounded by Ukrainian counterfire.  The rebel unit then withdrew to their own lines.

Subsequently, according to the report, rebel forces fired a number of heavy weapons into Ukrainian positions including 82mm and 120mm mortar fire, which lasted 25 minutes.  Rebel forces expended a total of 80 rounds of artillery shells of both types.  Fire was reported from SPG-9 73mm recoilless rifle, 23mm antiaircraft autocannon and 125mm tank gun fire until 1350 hrs.  The bombardment killed one Ukrainian effective and wounded another two.

A second rebel probe totaling 20 effectives took  place at around 1410 hrs, when the rebel unit came within 50 meters of Ukrainian positions before being fired on.  Rebel forces lost two more dead and five wounded, and the probe was forced back.

Two hours later a second exchange of gunfire took place between the two forces with losses for the Ukrainians totaling one dead and three wounded.  Ukrainian forces claim that radio intercepts indicate rebel losses in the last attack totaled five dead.

Ukrainian Artillery fire in Donetsk

Ukrainian artillery units hit the industrial area near Yasinovataya Sunday night total of 69 122mm and 152mm artillery shells striking rebel positions, according to a news release posted by the Donetsk ministry of defense.

The shelling  at Yasinovataya started at around 2130 hrs and ended at 2330 hrs.

Elsewhere in Donetsk, Ukrainian artillery units fired a total of 295 82mm and 120mm mortar shells at rebel positions, most of it night shelling, according to official rebel media.  Locations around Donetsk city struck by Ukrainian mortars fire include the Donetsk airport areas and at Trudovskoy,

In southern Donetsk, towns hit by Ukrainian artillery fire include Sahanka and Novoazovskiy.

On the evening of Monday, July 25th, Ukrainian artillery once again renewed their attacks at Yasinovataya and at Spartak, starting at 2100 hrs, according to a separate official rebel media report.  This time Ukrainians used 122mm artillery in their attacks, totaling 12 shots.

A residential building at Spartak was struck by Ukrainian artillery and was destroyed by fire.

A total of 184 82mm and 120mm mortar rounds were fired on rebel positions between 2100 hrs on Monday night and 0200 hrs Tuesday morning.   The artillery attacks originated at Avdievka, Opytnoye and Vodyanovo

Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com