Militants use Grad. Hottest spots are Krasnohorivka and area near Donetsk airport – Oleksandr Motuzyanyk

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Kyiv, December 10, 2015. Ceasefire violations were registered in all sectors of the ATO zone over the last day, most violations took place in the Donetsk sector. “Krasnohorivka was the epicenter of tension yesterday. Numerous mortar and tank attacks were registered in this area yesterday,” said spokesman of Presidential Administration on ATO-related issues Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. Complicated situation stands near the Donetsk airport: “Adversary resumed the tactics of round-the-clock attacks on Ukrainian positions. However, on the contact line between Avdiivka and Pisky heavy weapons are used sporadically while militant snipers are active,” noted the ATO spokesman. Colonel Motuzyanyk also noted that militants keep Grad-P (Partisan) rocket launchers on the combat line and sporadically use them. Yesterday militant groups fired four rockets upon Kurakhivka, a town located 12 km away from the contact line. Militants also used 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers of various types in Novhorodske of the Donetsk sector, an infantry fighting vehicle, small arms and grenade launchers near Luhanske. Militants instigated two short-lasting provocations against the ATO forces in Mayorsk located north of Horlivka.

 

In the Luhansk sector militants violated ceasefire three times between Shchastia and Tryokhizbenka along the Siversky Donets river. Militants used grenade launchers of various types and 82-mm mortars. “In the Mariupol sector there was a combat engagement between ATO forces and militants in Novotroyitske. Turbulent situation was also observed in Shyrokyne yesterday – militants fired two shots from 82-mm mortars and a series of shots from grenade launchers,” noted the ATO spokesman.

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Colonel Motuzyanyk also said that nine flights of militant unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were registered in Donetsk region near Adiivka and Mariupol. “Two Russian UAVs were conducting aerial reconnaissance along the state border near Ukraine’s Luhansk and Kharkiv regions,” added Colonel Motuzyanyk.

 

Two Ukrainian servicemen were killed in action over the last day and 10 were wounded in action. Colonel Motuzyanyk also said that as per the updated information nine Ukrainian servicemen not five as reported earlier were wounded in action on December 8.

 

Ukraine’s Security Service neutralized a subversive group in Kyiv and Kharkiv yesterday. According to the information that the Security Service had, the group was planning to organize terrorist acts in Kyiv and Kharkiv. Three citizens of the Russian Federation and three of Ukraine were detained. “The seventh militant of this group, who is group leader, tried to fight back with weapons and was destroyed,” said Colonel Motuzyanyk. In course of the operation one staff member of Alpha Special Forces unit was killed defending a child, another Special Forces staff member was wounded. “Militants were heavily armed. Eight home-made explosive devices, four kg of TNT, automatic weapons, over 40 grenades and about two thousand rounds of ammunition as well as components of explosive devices were seized in one apartment in Kyiv,” said Colonel Motuzyanyk.

 

Law enforcement staff discovered four caches with weapons in the ATO zone. One – in an abandoned militant dugout in the area of Opytne, 12 ammunition pieces to VOG-17 grenade launchers and almost 60 23-mm rounds of ammunition were found inside. Two more caches containing four RPG-22 hand-held antitank grenade launchers, two Kalshnikov rifles and two F-1 grenades were discovered in the woods near Kurakhove and Kodema, Donetsk region. Fourth cache was arranged in a private house in Pervomaysk, Luhansk region. “Law enforcement staff seized two RPG grenade launchers, an RGO grenade, one antitank and two signal mines as well as 200 rounds of 5,45-mm ammunition from it,” said the ATO spokesman.