ATO spokesman: Illegal armed groups continue firing at peaceful localities

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Kyiv, 27 January 2015 – “After 18.00 illegal criminal groups continued firing at Ukrainian military positions and peaceful localities with various types of weapons. At the Luhansk direction they shelled with mortars and artillery Novotoshkivske, Stary Aidar, Sokolnyky, Makarove, Vilkhove and three times Stanytsia Luhanska,” said Leonyd Matyukhin, ATO spokesman via Skype at a briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center. The enemy shelled Shchastia with Grad multiple rocket launchers and mortars. After a tank opened fire at 00.35 an engagement occurred in Stanytsia Luhanska. “Illegal criminal groups received strong response and stepped back,” added ATO spokesman.

At the Debaltseve direction illegal armed groups shelled twice with mortars and artillery Sanzharivka and Debaltseve. “Militants shelled Maloorlivka with Grad. At 23.05 an engagement occurred in Debaltseve area,” noted Leonyd Matyukhin.  At the Donetsk direction terrorists shelled with mortars and artillery Krasnohorivka and three times Novotroyitske. “Illegal armed groups do not stop firing on purpose at localities. In the last day they shelled Shchastia with BM-21 Grad, Novotroyitske, Mykolayivka, Hranitne, Shchastia and Chermalyk with mortars and artillery,” said ATO spokesman at the briefing.

According to the acting spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Vladyslav Seleznyov in the last day illegal armed groups fired 120 times at the ATO forces. “As a result of fierce combats, continuous shelling of our positions 9 Ukrainian servicemen were killed in action, 29 got wounded,” noted Vladyslav Seleznyov.