ATO Staff spokesman: Russia-backed militants fire over 180 times at positions of Ukrainian forces in last three days

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Kyiv, July 10, 2015. Russia-backed militants fired 180 times at the Ukrainian military positions between July 7 and the morning of July 10, including 46 times using Minsk-prohibited heavy weapons, said Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Gutsulyak, ATO Staff spokesman, at the press briefing via Skype at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

Russian-backed militant groups fired at the positions of ATO forces 40 times along the entire frontline yesterday including 17 times from heavy weapons. “Following the arrival of another so-called “Russia’s humanitarian convoy” to Donetsk and Luhansk regions attacks on the positions of Ukrainian forces became much more frequent. Militant groups fired a number of times at the positions of Ukrainian troops from 120-mm mortars and tanks in the area of Vodyane, Avdiivka, Pisky, Krymske, Opytne and Berezove.

Militants also shelled positions of Ukrainian troops near Taramchuk, Donetsk region with 122-mm artillery. Enemy shelled Hranitne in the Mariupol sector with Grad multiple rocket launcher systems, afterwards with 152-mm artillery,” added Lieutenant Colonel Gutsulyak.

At midnight on July 10 Russia-backed militants fired at Ukrainian forces from 120-mm mortars and small arms near Pisky.

According to the ATO Staff spokesman, eight thousand regular Russian troops are deployed to the territory of Ukraine, they have 512 pieces of armor, 147 artillery cannons, 190 tanks, 83 multiple rocket launchers, four “Tochka-U” systems. “Militant groups include 33,000 persons, over 368 tanks, over 940 IFVs, 375 units of cannon artillery,” said Lieutenant Colonel Gutsulyak.