Defense Ministry: Russia-backed militants make 12 precision attacks on Ukrainian troops

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Russia-backed militants violated the ceasefire 12 times in ATO zone yesterday using mortars near Triokhizbenka, Verkhniotoretske, and Vodiane. Ukrainian troops returned fire nine times using weapons not proscribed under the Minsk agreements, reported Colonel Andriy Lysenko, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense spokesman on ATO, at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

In Luhansk sector, Russia-backed militants conducted seven precision attacks. “Militants hit Ukrainian positions near Triokhizbenka with four 82-mm mortar rounds. During the day, Russian proxies attacked Ukrainian positions near Krymske twice, hostile attacks involving small arms and light weapons were also recorded in Zolote, Svitlodarsk, Zhovte and Travneve areas,” Colonel Lysenko said. Ukrainian troops returned fire in the majority of the cases.

In Donetsk sector, Russia-backed militants committed five ceasefire violations. “The enemy conducted two lasting mortar attacks on Ukrainian positions near Verkhniotoretske and Vodiane. In addition to that, Russian proxies attacked the positions of Ukrainian Armed Forces in the above area as well as near Hnutove, Avdiivka, and Maryinka with 23-mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon, grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms,” the ATO spokesman said. Ukrainian troops returned fire in most cases using small arms and grenade launchers.

Colonel Lysenko also reported that unidentified persons armed with automatic weapons wounded a sentry of an artillery warehouse of a military base in Dobropillia district of Donetsk region. “A reserve military group swiftly arrived on the spot and helped repel the subversive attack. The wounded serviceman was taken to the military hospital in Pokrovsk. His actual state is not life-threatening,” Colonel Lysenko said.

The ATO spokesman also quoted the information by the Main Intelligence Department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense saying that on November 20-26 34 Russia-backed militants were killed and 22 more were wounded in action.

Report on the military developments as of November 26 is available here. Interactive data on the shelling: chronology shelling chart and the interactive map.