NSDC: Illegal armed groups reinforce air reconnaissance

WATCH IN ENGLISH

Kyiv, October 15, 2014 – “Today was declared a Day of mourning in Mariupol in connection with tragic death of civilians resulting from terrorists’ bombardment of Sartana settlement. It has been found that a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was conducting active air reconnaissance in this area on October 14th.  Bombardment of “Sartana” border guard detachment using “Grad” rocket launchers located in the neighbourhood of a seized Shyrokyne populated locality started at 2:30 pm. Border guards incurred no losses in this bombardment. The fire was being adjusted directly from the pilotless aircraft. A funeral train was proceeding on the outskirts of the settlement at that moment and the fire shifted to it. A shell hit directly on the funeral train. According to the preliminary data, 7 inhabitants of Sartana settlement died and 18 were wounded. Simultaneously terrorist were outshooting ATO forces positions in the area Shevchenko and Talakivka populated localities nearby Mariupol. There are no casualties among our troops either. In general, the trend of air reconnaissance conducted by illegal armed groupings persists. Unmanned aerial aircrafts’ activity was recorded 10 times in Mariupol direction, nearby Donetsk and along administrative border with temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. Besides, helicopter flights along the border without Ukrainian aerial domain infringement were recorded on the segment of Sumy border detachment as well as along the administrative border with the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. An aircraft of electronic reconnaissance was observed crossing Ukrainian border nearby Uspenka settlement in Donetsk region”, -reported Colonel Lysenko, the National Security and Defense Council Information Center spokesman at his briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

map_1510

According to Lysenko, situation in the ATO zone remains unchangeable. He reported no death over past 24 hours, information on 12 wounded was corroborated.

Fulfilling the Peace Plan of the President of Ukraine another 14 Ukrainian hostages were set free from capture in Donbas within 24 hours. We would like to remind that the total of about 1500 Ukrainians who had been held hostage were liberated since the moment of signing ceasefire Minutes.

Colonel Lysenko informed on the continued fights nearby Bakhmutka populated locality in Luhansk region. Terrorists’ attempts to seize our checkpoints were fruitless. Our troops are protected by engineering constructions, they have sufficient amount of weapons and ammunition, the command maintains contact with them and keeps situation under control. At present our artillery is delivering fire upon positions of terrorists who had attacked our checkpoints. Subdivisions set out to the clashes area to provide help in wiping militants out and liquidating the threat checkpoints are exposed to. We are keeping track of the information from this area and any relevant news will be made public without delay.

Terrorists who continue infringing ceasefire are developing their activity mostly nearby Donetsk airport, Debaltsevo and Shchastya.

NSDC spokesman informed that pro-Russian terrorists outshot ATO forces positions in Donetsk airport four times using artillery and mortar guns,  and attempted assault two times. All the assaults were defeated. The Armed Forces defeated an attack at ATO forces base camp nearby Debaltseve town. The attack followed artillery shells.

Yesterday during the day servicemen of the National Guard defeated attacks at positions in main roads crossing nearby Zolote settlement in Luhansk region.

According to intelligence data received, militants are rotating manpower and equipment, spreading rumour on preparation of attacks at Debartseve, Mariupol, Avdiyivka towns direction in Donetsk region as well as Lysychansk, Syevyerodonetsk and Shchastya towns in Luhansk region. All the abovementioned directions are under Ukrainian troops’ control.

“Ukroboronprom” specialists repaired 13 armoured vehicles within last 24 hours,  3 tanks,  5 armoured personnel carriers, and 5 БТР-70,-80 light armoured vehicles.

According to Lysenko, armed clashes between illegal armed groups of terrorists and Russian mercenaries for spheres of influence rearrangement continue in Donbas accompanied by crime rate deterioration. For instance, as we previously informed, armed clashes between “Luhansk People’s Republic” militants and cossacks of “Great Don Army of the Russian Federation” (chieftain—M. Kozitsy) are in progress. Desire of different groupings to control picking up scrap metals and transporting them to Russia became another cause of conflict.

Andriy Lysenko reported that works on first temporary town deployment for IDPs from the ATO zone started in Kharkiv nearby the city airport. The town will consist of modular buildings sent to Ukraine as humanitarian aid from the German government . We would like to remind that two other towns of this type will be located nearby Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya. In total, all three modular towns are designed for reasonably comfortable living of about 4000 people.

On October 14 the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko held a telephone conversation with the President of the Russian Federation. During the conversation they sustained the demand for consistent implementation of agreements on ceasefire and withdrawal of troops. The partners in conversation agreed the agenda and format of the meeting during “Asia – Europe” summit which would take place on October 16-17 in Milan.

Following the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov in Paris, the USA Secretary of State John Kerry stated that implementation of 12 provisions of “Minsk agreements” was inescapable. In particular, John Kerry emphasized that bombardments of Donetsk airport and other locations in the east of Ukraine were to be terminated, foreign troops and weapons were to be withdrawn from Ukraine and all hostages, Nadiya Savchenko in particular, were to be released.

The prime-minister of Finland Alexander Stubb stated that Russia had been pursuing the policy of intimidation towards other countries. “We feel that  intimidation takes place in the sphere of international policy as well as destabilization of neighbours’ borders on different levels”, – emphasized Mr. Stubb.