Andriy Lysenko: Pro-Russian militants who plotted separation of Odesa region from Ukraine detained

Kyiv, May 1, 2015. Ukraine’s Security Service uncovered and detained a large subversive group that plotted to organize a series of actions, aiming to separate the Odesa region from Ukraine, said Colonel Andriy Lysenko, spokesman of Administration of the President of Ukraine on issues connected with ATO, at the press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “The militant group was coordinated from Russia. They were planning to create a breakaway territory called “Besarabia” in the Odesa region,” said Col. Lysenko. Ukrainian operatives detained 20 insurgents and seized their e-correspondence with their Russian coordinators, propaganda materials, IT equipment and money intended to finance separatist rallies.

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Militants actively used heavy arms in the ATO zone over the last day. They have fired at the Ukrainian military positions 15 times from 120-mm mortars, five times from 122-mm cannons and three times from tanks.

According to Col. Lysenko, the hotspots in the Mariupol and Luhansk sectors were Shyrokyne, Chermalyk and Shchastya. In the Donetsk sector, militants continued attacking the area of the Donetsk airport and those around Svitlodarsk as well as the outskirts of Horlivka.

Ukrainian border guards spotted six enemy UAVs in the ATO zone.

Two Ukrainian servicemen were killed in action and two got wounded in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Security Service in the Donetsk region detained four militants of the so-called “DPR”. Col. Lysenko reported that these militants planned to commit a series of subversive acts in Mariupol. The law enforcers seized a large number of weapons, ammunition and explosive during the search of the militants’ apartment.

Also, works on the build up of defensive fortifications in the frontline areas is ongoing. According to Col. Lysenko, Ukrainian authorities and officers of military-civil cooperation groups have inspected the pace of works yesterday. “Ukrainian specialists are going to to construct 240 similar fortifications in the Donetsk region soon as additional barrier that would protect Ukrainian territories,” Col. Lysenko said.