Russia-backed militants made six precision attacks in eastern Ukraine yesterday using small arms, mortars, and antiaircraft mounts. Ukrainian troops did not return fire. Unfortunately, one Ukrainian serviceman was killed and five more troops were wounded in action, reported Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense spokesman on ATO, at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
In Luhansk sector, Russian proxies violated the ceasefire five times. In Luhanske area at 14:35 militants started a complex attack involving 82-mm mortars, a ZU-23 antiaircraft mount, small arms, and light weapons. The attack continued for an hour. In the evening, Russia-backed militants made another attack using 82-mm mortars and heavy machine gun having fired a total of twenty-three 82-mm mortar rounds. “Ukrainian strongholds in Novoluhanske, Zolote, and Stanytsia Luhanska areas also came under the hostile small arms and sniper fire,” the ATO spokesperson added.
In Donetsk sector, Russia-backed militants delivered a 45-minute small arms attack near Shakhta Butovka at midday. One Ukrainian serviceman was killed in this attack by a hostile gunshot.
“Two more Ukrainian servicemen were wounded by hostile sniper fire near Zolote and Novoluhanske. One of them is in critical condition. Two more servicemen were wounded in action near Luhanske in a hostile attack,” Colonel Motuzyanyk said. One serviceman of the National Guard was wounded by an explosive device near Vodiane.
The ATO spokesperson also said that in the evening of December 27 Ukrainians liberated from militant captivity will be welcomed back home at the military ground of the Boryspil airport. “Collection point for the journalists who would like to cover the event is near the control point of the military ground at the Boryspil airport at 18:00,” Colonel Motuzyanyk said. Accreditation details are available on the website of the Ministry of Defense.
Report on the military developments as of December 26 is available here. Interactive data on the shelling: chronology shelling chart and the interactive map.
