ATO Staff Spokesperson: Russia-backed militants fired 250 times at Ukrainian troops over last three days

WATCH IN ENGLISH

Kyiv, July 17, 2015. Russia-backed militants fired at Ukrainian forces in the ATO zone approximately 250 times between July 14 and the morning of July 17. Militants violated the Minsk agreements over 110 times using 152- and 122-mm artillery, 120-mm mortars, tanks and multiple rocket launchers. “Militants shelled positions of Ukrainian forces 30 times with heavy artillery, 82 times with 120-mm mortars, two times with multiple rocket launcher systems and fired 23 times from tanks. The epicenter of attacks was around Avdiivka, Opytne, Vodyane, Pisky, Kirove, Novhorodske, Luhanske, Novotoshkivske and Stanytsia Luhanska,” reported ATO Staff spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Hutsulyak, during a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

Today, Russia-backed militants continue to provoke ATO forces by firing on their positions. Firing has been reported a number of times in Pisky, Shchastya, Stanytsia Luhanska and Shyrokyne. “At 00:10, militants shelled the positions of Ukrainian forces from 120-mm mortars near Khimik,” elaborated Lt. Col. Hutsulyak. Russia-backed militants fired at Ukrainian troops 60 times over the last day. Militants used 152- and 122-mm artillery four times and 120-mm mortars over 20 times. They also fired from tanks. Ukrainian Armed Forces came under fire in the village of Orikhove near Popasna, Luhansk region, as well as in Opytne, Novotoshkivske and Avdiivka, all in Donetsk region.