Colonel Lysenko: Militants are violating agreements on troops’ disengagement in viciniy of Zolote

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Mortar attacks continue in all the sectors. 120-mm mortar launchers are used the Donetsk sector where 19 shells are fired. A civilian inhabitant injured in a militants’ shelling.

Kyiv, September 25, 2016. Militants are violating the preliminary agreements on troops’ disengagement in the vicinity of Zolote town. “According to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM), militants are hindering monitors’ access to the area and installed concrete blocks on the road from Pervomaiske to Zolote, which directly violates the Minsk and political agreements as well as the SMM mandate stipulating access to any area on the frontline,” informed Colonel Andriy Lysenko, spokesman of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on ATO related issues at a press briefing at UkraineCrisis Media Center.

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The situation remained tense in the combat activity zone yesterday. Militants mostly used small arms and mortar launchers – in the Donetsk sector only, where insurgents launched over 40 mortar shells, according to the General Staff estimates.

In the Donetsk sector the day started from militants shooting at Ukrainian positions in the vicinity of the Donetsk airport using mortar launchers. Russian proxies launched eight mines at Pisky village defenders. Militants’ combat activity was registered in the vicinity of the airport yet another time after 11 p.m., when the Russia-baked insurgents used 120-mm mortar launchers, firing 19 mortar shells. Avdiivka remains a flashpoint in the Donetsk sector. A local inhabitant was injured there yesterday as a result of militants’shelling. In total, 17 mortar shells were launched at Ukrainian positions in the vicinity of Avdiivka industrial area. Seven cases of the armistice violation involving use of grenade launchers and sniping weapons were registered. “Moreover, the adversaries violated the ceasefire in Verkhniotoretske and Novhorodske where small arms were used,” said Col. Lysenko. In total, militants conducted 12 attacks in the Donetsk sector yesterday; four of them involved use of mortar launchers. Two militants’ UAVs wereregistered in the Donetsk sector.

Five militants’ armed provocations involving use of small arms and under barrel grenade launchers took place in the Luhansk sector. “Areas near Popasna and Stanytsia Luhanska remain the areas with high level of combat activity,” said the spokesman.

In the Mariupol sector the armistice was violated 12 times, small arms were used each time. Half of these incidents took place in Mariinka. Moreover, sniper’s activity was registered there late at night. “Militants’ troops were violating the ceasefire in Taramchuk, Novotroitske, Starohnativka, Pavlopil and Shyrokyne. Ukrainian forces did not respond with fire to the adversaries’ provocations,” said the spokesman.

Ukrainian Armed Forces incurred no losses in combat in the past 24 hours, one serviceman was injured in militants’ shelling in Avdiivka.