The situation in the combat zone keeps escalating: Russia-backed militants use Minsk-proscribed weapons increasingly more often. Russian proxies made a total of 17 precision attacks on Ukrainian troops’ positions over the last day, reported Ukrainian Ministry of Defense spokesman on ATO Colonel Dmytro Hutsulyak at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
In Luhansk sector, namely in Svitlodarsk area, militants made 15 precision attacks. Luhanske and Troitske were subject to most frequent hostile attacks – they came under fire six and four times respectively. The enemy shelled these localities with 122-mm artillery and 120-mm mortars. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Krymske, Popasna, Novhorodske, and Luhanske Russian proxies used 82-mm mortars and grenade launchers, and employed IFV mounted weapons in Troitske area.
“In Donetsk sector, militants used heavy machine guns and grenade launchers near Shyrokyne and Pisky, and fired four rounds from tank cannon in the latter,” Colonel Hutsulyak said.
Ukrainian troops returned fire five times using infantry weapons. Unfortunately, one Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in action.
Yesterday Ukrainian troops registered another fact of the presence of Russian weapons in Donbas. “An antiaircraft defense unit downed a Russian-made UAV ‘Orlan-10’. Over the last month and a half, this is the fourth downed UAV of this type,” the ATO spokesperson elaborated.
Report on the military developments as of February 7 is available here. Interactive data on the shelling: chronology shelling chart and the interactive map.
