Colonel Lysenko: militants are violating armistice in Luhansk sector

Militants shoot with prohibited weapons near Avdiivka and intensify aerial reconnaissance. Ukraine’s Security Service prevents fuel smuggle in Luhansk region.

Kyiv, October 1, 2016. Militants violated agreement on armistice and troops’ disengagement near Stanytsia Luhanska. “The enemy was shooting from grenade launchers at Ukrainian troops’ positions. Moreover, Russian proxies opened fire near Novozvanivka, and a hostile sniper was active in the vicinity of Novooleksandrivka,” said Colonel Andriy Lysenko, spokesman of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on ATO related issues at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

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According to the spokesman, Avdiivka and Verkhniotoretske remain the most active flashpoints in the Donetsk sector. It is in these areas that militants are using mortar launchers. “Insurgents launched four artillery missiles from 122-mm mounts prohibited by the Minsk agreements near Avdiivka at night. More militants’ provocations were registered near Kamianka, Zaitseve and Novoselivka Druha,” elaborated the spokesman.

Col. Lysenko informed that militants were mostly shooting from small arms aong the entire frontline in the Mariupol sector,namely near Mariinka, Starohnativka, Pavlopil and Shyrokyne. Russia-backed militant groups shot from grenade launchers twice, near Bohdanivka and Shyrokyne. Moreover, aerial reconnaissance of Russia-backed militant groups was active. Seven flights of militants’ unmanned aerial vehicles were observed in all the sectors.

According to Col. Lysenko, Ukrainian Armed Forces incurred no losses in combat yesterday, two troops were injured in a militants’ shelling near Avdiivka.

According to the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, militants incurred confirmed losses in the past 24 hours: three militants dead and one wounded from so-called 11th regiment. “One of them was shot dead by another militant during checkpoints inspection. The murderer’s name is known – it is a 41-year-old Oleksandr Kondrashov,” said the spokesman.

Col. Lysenko also said that the Security Service of Ukraine prevented illegal railway supply of fuel for militants on thetemporarily occupied territories. “During checkup at Svitlanove checkpoint of an empty train proceeding toward the occupied territories in Luhansk region, law enforcement officers found an attached nonfunctioning locomotive with five tons of diesel illegally transported in its fuel tanks,” said Col. Lysenko.