Ukrainian Armed Forces incurred no losses and six troops wounded.
Avdiivka remained the main “flashpoint” in the last 24 hours. “A series of militants’ mortar attacks was registered there yesterday. The enemy shot from a tank one and fired one fourth of ammunition load from Grad multiple rocket launcher system at our strongholds in the industrial area. In total, combat in Avdiivk and its flanks lasted over 10 hours yesterday,” 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 situation escalated at the Svitlodarsk bulge. 11 incidents of ceasefire violation were registered there; militants opened disturbing fire from mortar launchers in seven cases. Moreover, insurgents were shooting from small arms and APC weapons, and militants’ sniper was shooting at Ukrainian positions in Luhanske. “Moreover, Russia-backed militant groups violated the armistice in Zaitseve, Novhorodske, Troitske, Verkhniotoretske and the vicinity of the Donetsk airport. “Every fourth attack in this frontline area involved use of mortars,” said Col. Lysenko. In total, militants violated the armistice 38 times in the Donetsk sector, using heavy armor in half the cases.
37 militant’s attacks occurred in the Mariupol sector, and seven of them involved use of heavy armor. Militants opened fire from mortars and tanks shooting at Ukrainian troops’ positions in Mariinka, and in Krasnohorivka in the afternoon. Russian proxies were periodically shooting from grenade launchers and small arms during the day in the Mariinka district. Two sniping attacks took place in Novomykhailivka and Novotroitske. Militants were instigating provocations from small arms in Novotroitske during the day. After 8 p.m. they shelled Ukrainian positions from howitzers and mortar launchers, firing about 40 projectiles. Hostilities continued almost 24/7 in Chermalyk – Shyrokyne line, but no heavy armor was used.
Militants opened fire seven times in the Luhansk sector. Two mortar attacks took place in Krymske. Militants instigated two 30-minutes provocations involving use of small arms in Stanytsia Luhanska district; three more provocations took place in Popasna district.
Ukrainian Armed Forces incurred no losses in combat yesterday, but six troops sustained wounds and injuries. According Col. Lysenko, Ukrainian military intelligence estimated that 16 militants died and 35 were wounded in the last week. “It has been found that militants that sustained severe injuries in combat are sent to civil medical institutions on the territory of the Russian Federation for further treatment. For instance, heavily wounded militants from so-called “9th separate assault motorized infantry regiment” of self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” are treated and rehabilitated at Veshenskyi health resort in Rostov region of the Russia Federation,” said the spokesman.
Report on the military developments as of March 12 is available here. Interactive data on the shelling: chronology shelling chart and the interactive map.
