Kyiv, 22 January 2015 – “Fierce combats for the Donetsk airport are ongoing now. Our servicemen keep defending part of the airport’s premises. Due to the constant fire massive destruction of the new terminal occurred, it is currently the area of direct fire. Taking into account the danger and in order to save lives of the Ukrainian “Cyborgs” it was decided yesterday to move out of the terminal’s territory and to the new lines,” informed Vladyslav Seleznyov, acting spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at a briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
Yesterday 16 Ukrainian servicemen got contusion in the fight for the airport, were taken captive by the militants of the so-called “DPR”. Negotiations re their liberation are currently proceeding. For the moment there is information on the six Donetsk airport defenders killed in action,” added the acting spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The overall situation in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone is characterized by the decrease in number of times fire was opened by the militants. “Illegal criminal groups shelled with multiple rocket launchers Ukrainian military positions near localities Nyzhne, Novotoshkivske, Karlivka, Avdiivka, Mykolayivka, Troyitske, Maloorlivka, Zaytsevo and twice Krymske,” reported ATO spokesman Leonyd Matyukhin via Skype at the briefing. Over the night the following localities came under small arms fire: Stanytsia Luhanska four times, Shchastia three times, Maryinka and Troyitske twice as well as Novotoshkivske, Kryakivka, Berezove, Kamenka, Opytne, Popasna, Chornukhyne, Ozyryanivka, Novohorodske. “Same as before spots of the highest tension remain the area of the Donetsk airport as well as the 29th and 31st checkpoints,” added Leonyd Matyukhin.