Situation was tense in Donetsk sector yesterday, with the majority of ceasefire violations taking place in Zaitseve and Avdiivka–Pisky area, Russia-backed militants fired over 50 mortar rounds at Ukrainian positions there, reported Ukrainian Ministry of Defense spokesman on ATO Colonel Andriy Lysenko during a briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
Militants’ shelling in Avdiivka continued for over four and a half hours. As the day before yesterday, militants were firing from three different directions at the same time. Several rounds hit residential areas of the city, damaging two residential buildings and wounding two civilians. Moreover, militants attacked Zaitseve’s residential area with IFV’s mounted weapons. Fortunately, the attack did not cause damages. Ukrainian forces returned fire.
In Mariupol sector, hostilities started in the evening and continued nearly two hours. “Militants fired from tank two times in Krasnohorivka and used mortars in Talakivka. In Vodiane they attacked with small arms. Each of the attacks continued for 20-25 minutes,” elaborated the spokesman.
In Luhansk sector, militants violated the ceasefire near Stanytsia Luhanska and Krymske. “Militants used only light weapons, each of the attacks continued nearly 40 minutes,” added Col. Lysenko.
Two Ukrainian servicemen were killed in action in Zaitseve and Nevelske, four more were wounded.
Report on the military developments as of July 18 is available here. Interactive data on the shelling: chronology shelling chart and the interactive map.
