Russia-backed militant conducted two two-hour artillery and mortar attacks in the Luhansk sector yesterday. In addition to cannon artillery, insurgents used Grad multiple rocket launchers. Russian proxies fired 120 rocket missiles, 70 152-mm cannon projectiles and over 120 mortar shells at ATO troops’ positions in Krymske, said the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on ATO related issues Colonel Andriy Lysenko at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “The enemy launched 15 artillery projectiles in Smolianynove village almost 20 km from the line of contact. Adversaries used no heavy armor in Popasna district. The epicenter of combat in this frontline area moved from Troitske to Novooleksandrivka where light weapons were used, including sniping rifles. Insurgents opened fire from grenade launchers and small arms. In total, adversaries conducted 16 shooting attacks in the Luhansk sector yesterday, and one quarter of them involved use of heavy armor,” said the spokesman.
Russian proxies shelled ATO troops’ positions from mortar launchers, APC weapons and other light arms at the Svitlodarsk bulge in the Donetsk sector. No heavy armor was used in Horlivka perimeter. Most attacks took place in Zaitseve. According to Col. Lysenko, shooting attacks became more intense in Avdiivka and the outskirts where militants conducted one tank attack and a series of mortar attacks. Russia-backed militants made one brief mortar attacks and opened fire from light weapons at ATO troops’ positions in Nevelske adjacent to the Donetsk airport. In total, 35 hostile attacks occurred in the Donetsk sector in the last 24 hours, and 13 of them involved use of heavy armor.
In the Mariupol sector militants opened fire from tanks and mortars. The armistice held during the day, but militants resumed their combat activity in the afternoon. They attacked four times, using mortar launchers three times. Each ceasefire violation in this area lasted at least one hour. “Three attacks took place in the Volnovakha district – militants opened sniping fire in Novotroitske, shot from APC weapons in Novohryhorivka and conducted brief mortar attack in Mykolaivka between Novotroitske and Bohdanivka. In the south of the region the enemy continues aggressive actions in Pavlopil – Shyrokyne frontline area, where heavy weapon and armor are regularly used. Mortars were most actively used in Vodiane and Hnutove. Militants attacked our positions one time from artillery in this area. Militants opened fire 56 times in this sector yesterday, and used heavy weapons 21 times,” elaborated the spokesman.
Two Ukrainian servicemen died in combat yesterday, and 16 sustained wounds and injuries.
Report on the military developments as of March 10 is available here. Interactive data on the shelling: chronology shelling chart and the interactive map.
