Kyiv, March 14, 2016. One Ukrainian serviceman died in combat in the ATO zone yesterday and another one was wounded. The situation is the most difficult in the Donetsk sector, in particular near Avdiivka. “The enemy used mortar launchers repeatedly, as well as cannon artillery – 122-mm howitzers. Attacks lasted the entire day and stopped only in the evening. Moreover, fire was delivered from several directions at the same time: Spartak (south), Yakovlivka (north east), Yasynuvata (east). As always, militants are keeping their heavy armor in residential quarters,” informed Colonel Andriy Lysenko, Presidential Administration spokesperson on ATO related issues, at a briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. Intense mortar shelling took place near Zaitseve, where Russia-backed militant groups used 82-mm and 120-mm mortar launchers after the sunset. Moreover, militants used mortar launchers in Pisky and Krasnohorivka. Sporadic militants’ provocations involving use of small arms and grenade launchers took place at the Svitlodarsk bulge, Mayorsk, Novhorodske and Verkhniotoretske. Militants’ sniper was active in Opytne. “The total of 38 attacks took place in the last 24 hours in the Donetsk sector, every second conducted from heavy armor,” said Col. Lysenko.
Militants shelled Mariinka in the Mariupol sector twice. A checkpoint came under sniping fire. “Moreover, Russia-backed militant groups violated the ceasefire in Novotroitske and Starohnativka. In total, five hostile attacks took place in the Mariupol sector yesterday,” said the spokesman. Militants shot at ATO troops’ positions in Novotoshkivske using mortar launchers in the Luhansk sector.
