Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk: Armistice holds in all sectors in the ATO zone

Nevertheless, militants opened fire 11 times in the Donetsk sector. They used all types of weapons – small arms, grenade launchers, machine guns and APC weapons. Russia is trying to hide its losses of manpower and strengthens militants with weapons and ammunition.

Kyiv, August 20, 2016. Militants’ combat activity in the ATO zone reduced in all the sectors. Nevertheless, they used heavy armor – 82-mm mortar launchers – in Stanytsia Luhanska in the Luhansk sector. The General Staff counted more than 250 mortar shells launched at Ukrainian positions in the entire Donetsk sector. Moreover, Russia-backed militant groups opened artillery fire twice: near Svitlodarsk and in Zaitseve,” said the spokesman of Presidential Administration on ATO-related issues Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk at a press briefingat Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “In total, the enemy opened fire 11 times north of Horlivka using mortar launchers, armored personnel carriers weapons and machine guns. The enemy shot from 122-mm cannons at the Svitlodarsk bulge in the morning. Later militants started provoking ATO troops shelling them from small arms, grenade launchers and APC weapons. Following this, they started massive mortar attack at our positions at the sunset. Insurgents launched at Svitlodarsk defenders’ positions 60 120-mm and 82-mm mortar shells,” said the spokesman.

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According to Col. Motuzyanyk, four cases of the armistice violation were registered in Avdiivka, where militants used grenade launchers of various systems and machine guns. Sporadic cases of ceasefire violation using mortar launchers took place in Novhorodske, Pisky and Putylivska coal mine position.

Militants used mortar launchers in Mariinka, Vodiane and Shyrokyne in the Mariupol sector, once in each position. “Adversaries launched eight artillery missiles at our positions in Berezove west of the occupied Dokuchevsk. Firefights between ATO troops and the adversaries continue in Novotroitske, Starohnativka and Hnutove. Moreover, militants’ sniper was active in Hnutove,” said Col. Motuzyanyk.

One Ukrainian serviceman died in combat yesterday and four were injured.

At the same time, military intelligence informs that 24 militants died and 27 were wounded on August 18-19. “Subdivisions of airborne forces of the Russian Federation, namely 331rd guards parachute regiment located in Kostroma incurred considerable losses,” added the spokesman. Moreover, intelligence reports that Russia stopped bringing corpses of Russian servicemen to morgue of Kalinin regional clinical hospital in Donetsk for preliminary examination and storage. Now they are loaded in special refrigerators and surreptitiously transport to Rostov-na-Donu. “It is done to hide real information about incurred losses which more and more influence the morale and discipline in militants’ troops,” said Col. Motuzyanyk. He added that bodies of dead Russian citizens who were drafted under special mercenaries contract are subject to cremation in mobile crematories near Donetsk and Luhansk without any medical examination or death certificate issuance. Moreover, injured servicemen are registered in hospital as casualties of home accidents to avoid paying compensation.

According to the spokesman, three railroad cars carrying ammunition and military equipment came to Sverdlovsk from Russia, four fuel tanks with fuel, two railroad cars with ammunition and three platforms with self-propelled artillery mounts, APCs and one 122-mm Grad multiple rocket launcher arrived at Ilovaisk. About 160 mercenaries came from the territory of the Russian Federation to strengthen subdivisions of so-called 11th separate motorized rifle regiment located in Makiivka.