ATO headquarters: Militants use heavy artillery in ATO zone: continue firing from Grad, tanks and self-propelled artillery

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Kyiv, December 11, 2015. Over last night militants violated ceasefire about 40 times. They fired from small arms, machine guns and grenade launchers of various systems at Opytne, Pisky, Novhorodske, and Krasnohorivka. They also shot several dozens of 120-mm and 82 mines at Ukrainian positions in Krasnohorivka. Militants used 120-mm mortars, heavy machine guns and grenade launchers for shelling Zaitseve in Artemivsk sector. A sniper worked there too, said Major Anton Myronovych, ATO spokesman, via Skype at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

In general, over the past three days, militants have repeatedly used heavy artillery. “They opened fire from Grad multiple launch rocket systems in Zoryane and Kurakhivka, from tanks in Verkhnotoretske and Krasnohorivka, from self-propelled artillery in Pisky. Yesterday, on December 10, early in the morning, they fired twice from 122-mm artillery systems at Shyrokyne,” said Major Myronovych. According to him, the insurgents do not stop shelling of Ukrainian positions from other weapons: small arms, anti-aircraft installations, infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) weapons and grenades of other systems. “In total, over the past three days, militants attacked ATO positions, settlements and infrastructure 175 times along the entire boundary line,” said Major Myronovych.

Myronovych also spoke about a tragic event that happened in  ​​ATO zone on December 9. On the outskirts of Opytne, near Donetsk airport, a Ukrainian IFV hit a powerful explosive device when moving between strongholds. “As a result, two of our soldiers were killed and seven received injuries of varying severity,” he said and added that “it indicates that militants continue to resort to subversive actions, mine the area, act treacherously and contrary to any cease-fire agreements.”

Major Myronovych also said that mobile groups of Ukrainian officers, working with the local population, continue delivering humanitarian supplies and help to organize work of local authorities to recover infrastructure.