Andriy Lysenko: Militants are locating heavy armament near contact line, rotation of Russian regular officers on the temporarily occupied territories continues

Kyiv, December 5, 2015. Russia-controlled militants located tanks, 100-mm self-propelled artillery mounts and Grad multi launch rocket systems not far from Donetsk, Komsomolske, Luhanske and settlements of Patriotychne, Stakhanov and Staromykhailivka. This information has already been given to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission observers, said Colonel Andriy Lysenko, spokesperson of Presidential Administration on ATO-related issues at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “Ukrainian intelligence also reports on rotation of Russian regular officers who are controlling the militants. For instance, it is the chief of the staff of the 5th separate motor rifle brigade Colonel Kolosov and chief of the 2nd motorized rifle battalion of the 11th separate regiment Lieutenant Colonel Mamaiev,” said Col. Lysenko.

No militants’ provocations were recorded in the Luhansk sector. At the same time, pro-Russian militants used armored vehicles and small arms two times near Krasnohorivka in the Donetsk sector. Russia-backed militant groups were shooting from 82-mm mortar launchers near Donetsk airport, namely in the vicinity of Pisky and Opytne. “Moreover, militants used small arms, grenade launchers and large machine guns near Novhorodske. They also shot once from an 82-mm mortar launcher. 82-mm mortar launchers and armored vehicles prohibited by peace accords were also observed neat Horlivka, when militants shot at Ukrainian positions near Mayorsk and Zaitseve. Another provocative attack from an infantry combat vehicle was recorded near Luhanske settlement,” said the spokesperson. One firefight took place in the Mariupol sector. ATO forces successfully defeated the attack and incurred no losses.

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One serviceman died yesterday and three Ukrainian troops were wounded.

According to Col. Lysenko, Ukraine’s Security Service detained three militants of the self-proclaimed ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ (‘DPR’) in Donetsk region. “One of them stayed in Kramatorsk where he served in the ranks of a Russia-backed militant group. Three guns were seized from the criminal during search. Another insurgent was detained by the Ukrainian police in Sloviansk on the grounds of a militant group member’s ID found in a cache on the outskirts of the town. It has been established that he has joined the militant group right after seizure of Slovianks, got a nom de guerre ‘Boroda’ and was on duty at checkpoints up till liberation of the town. Another militants’ associate was detained in Dzerzhynsk. At first he was keeping duty on checkpoints of the self-proclaimed ‘DPR’, but when he wasn’t paid the money he was promised, fled to Donetsk when he was working at a construction site and became militants’ informer,” said Col. Lysenko.