Kyiv, June 22, 2016. Militants continued shelling Novozvanivka in the Luhansk sector in the ATO zone shooting from armored personnel carrier (APC), grenade launchers and small arms. They used heavy armor in several areas simultaneously. Russia-backed militant groups used artillery in Maiorsk and launched 130 mortars at Troitske yesterday. Russian mercenaries used heavy artillery, together with grenade launchers and machine guns in Avdiivka industrial area. They also fired mortars at Putylivska coal mine, informed the spokesman of Presidential Administration on ATO related issues Colonel Andriy Lysenko at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. Militants fired over twenty 122mm artillery shells at Ukrainian positions near Mykolaivka Druha south of occupied Horlivka,” he added.
The ceasefire mostly held in the Mariupol sector compared to previous weeks. “No use of heavy armor by occupants was reported. Nevertheless, they continue shelling Mariinka and Krasnohorivka using small arms. Militant snipers were active at the same area,” said the spokesman. He added that Russia-backed militant groups shelled ATO troops’ positions near Vodiane. Sporadic provocations were instigated in Taramchuk village, Novotritske, Hnutove and Talakivka.
Col. Lysenko said that no Ukrainian troops were killed or wounded yesterday. However, nine militants from the separate marine assault motorized rifle regiment died as a result of “friendly fire” from bursts of a large calibre machine gun. “Moreover, four militants from two different militant subdivisions, acting as members of subversive reconnaissance groups, in the Donetsk sector were wounded,” added Col. Lysenko.
According to the spokesman, the court of the government-controlled city of Kherson sentenced an informant to five years in prison. The man had been spying on pro-Ukrainian persons in the temporarily occupied territory from April to November 2015, forwarding the information to the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” militants. He then travelled to Kherson region to internally undermine and discredit a local Ukrainian patriotic organization. Moreover, Lysychansk town court released from responsibility two former militants of the self-proclaimed “Luhansk People’s Republic” who joined Ukraine’s Security Service “You are waited for at home”, said Col. Lysenko. Meanwhile, law enforcement detained a militant who was a member of “Kalmius,” a Russia-backed militant group, who actively participated in combat. Donetsk police also seized a militant reconnoiter with the nom de guerre of “Benny Hill” in Slavne.
