Colonel Andriy Lysenko: Militants deny OSCE observers access to their strongholds

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Kyiv, June 5, 2016. Militants continue interfering with the activity of international observers. “Command of the so-called” 7th separate motorized rifle brigade “(Debaltseve) prohibited access of OSCE SMM observers to the areas where the division’s strongholds are located. “We remind that that it’s a blunt violation of the Minsk agreements,” informed spokesman of the Presidential Administration on ATO related issues Colonel Andriy Lysenko at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

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No militants’ provocations were registered in the Luhansk sector in the ATO zone. Attacks continue in the Donetsk sector in the vicinity of the Donetsk airport, namely near Avdiivka, Pisky and Opytne settlements. Militants are using 82-mm and 120-mm mortar launchers prohibited by the Minsk agreements, anti-aircraft mounts, grenade launchers and small arms. “Moreover, a hostile sniper was active in the vicinity of Pisky. Not far from this area militants launched four mortar shells from 120-mm mortar launchers at Ukrainian troops near Kamianka village, “added Col.  Lysenko. Attacks also continued on the outskirts of Horlivka. Militants were shooting from 82-mm and 120-mm mortar launchers, grenade launchers and small arms. They also shot from grenade launchers near Kirove village west of Horlivka. Another sniper’s attack was registered near Novhorodske. Moreover, Russia-backed militant groups used large machine guns and small arms near Luhanske settlement at the Svitlodarsk bulge.

Intense militants’ fire from their positions near Dokuchaevsk, Sakhanka and Staromykhailivka was observed in the Mariupol sector. Russia-backed militant groups were shooting from mortar launchers at ATO positions in Berezove and Novotroitske from Dokuchaevsk, and shelled the positions near Mykolaivka from 122-mm artillery mounts at nighttime. “Fire was delivered from militants’ positions in Sakhanka at Shyrokyne from mortar launchers of various calibers, small arms and grenade launchers. Moreover, the situation was restless near Mariinka and Krasnohorivka, where militants used mortar launchers, armor and small arms. Moreover, a militants’ sniper was active near Krasnohorivka, “said the spokesman.

Ukrainian Armed Forces incurred no losses in the past 24 hours, seven troops were wounded. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, reconnaissance flights of two militant’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) launched from the territory of Russia took place in the ATO zone. Two UAVs more were launched in the Donetsk sector.

“The adversary lost three militants killed and five wounded yesterday from three militants’ subdivisions: so-called” 9th regiment “(Novoazovsk),” 3rd and 7th brigades “located in Horlivka and Debaltseve correspondingly,” informed Col. Lysenko. According to the intelligence, two militants of so-called “2nd separate motorized rifle brigade” deserted the frontline positions of militants on June 3, carrying their weapons with them. One of them, Yevgen Antipov, was detained at the temporarily uncontrolled section of Ukrainian-Russian border. “Two Russian officers, a 31-year-old chief of the personnel department, major Aleksey Yefremov and a 35-year-old chief of the troop service and military service security department lieutenant colonel Yevgeniy Spiridonov were imposed disciplinary penalties,” -added the spokesman.