Ministry of Defense: Militants shoot from tanks near Avdiivka

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One private house was fully destroyed, eight more buildings were damaged. One Ukrainian soldier died in combat yesterday and four were wounded.

Militants were shelling ATO troops in Avdiivka from 3 p.m. till midnight non-stop. During these nine hours militants conducted a series of massive artillery and mortar attacks at Avdiivka industrial area,  and fired from tanks over 10 times. Residential quarters came under enemy’s long-range artillery fire yet another time. One private house was fully destroyed as a result of fire caused by a hit of a shell. Eight more buildings were damaged,” said the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on ATO related issues Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

A sniper shelled Ukrainian positions at the Svitlodarsk bulge near Novoluhanske in the Donetsk sector. In Horlivka perimeter militants were active in Zaitseve and Verkhniotoretske where light weapons were used on a massive scale. Militants conducted attacks using mortar launchers at the Svitlodarsk bulge, near Novoluhanske and Novoselivka Druha, and attacks lasted over 3.5 hours. “It has been established that fire came from Kruta Balka settlement occupied by militants. Militants shelled the adjacent Kamianka from the same area in the afternoon,” said the spokesman.

Militants mostly used light weapons in the vicinity of the Donetsk airport. In total, insurgents conducted 15 attacks in the Donetsk sector yesterday, and over half of them involved use of heavy armor. Main hostilities in the Luhansk sector continued in Krymske. Russian proxies were active after the sunset. They stopped the firefight around 11 p.m. following three hours’ attack. According to the General Staff’s estimates, militants launched over 70 mortar shells at Ukrainian positions. Moreover, Russian proxies sporadically violated the armistice in the Popasna district and in Lobacheve. In total, six militants’ attacks took place in the Luhansk sector yesterday.

Ukrainian defense lines in Vodiane and the adjacent Shyrokyne remain the epicenter of combat in the Mariupol sector. Militants were shooting from small weapons throughout the day and sporadically used mortars and armored personnel carrier weapons. “The armistice held in the Mariinka district yesterday. A hostile sniper shelled our positions in Novotroitske during the day. In total, 28 attacks took place in the Mariupol sector yesterday, and two of them involved use of heavy armor,” informed Col. Motuzyanyk.

One Ukrainian soldier died in combat yesterday and four were wounded.

Report on the military developments as of February 15 is available here. Interactive data on the shelling: chronology shelling chart and the interactive map.