Kyiv, July 30, 2014 – “An explosion occurred yesterday at around 11 p.m. in the village of Berestove in Aremivsk district. The mine, left behind by the retreating terrorists, caused the death of one woman; 8 children, including a year-old baby, received injuries of varying gravity. Military medics immediately provided first aid to the children and transported them to hospital. When shooting at a bus, by which the citizens of Donetsk were trying to leave for a safe region, the terrorists killed a child, another 10 people have been injured,” stated NSDC Information Center spokesman Colonel Andriy Lysenko during a press briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
At the moment the ATO troops have set up and equipped additional roadblocks in this region on the roads and automobile highways. This allowed to reinforce the Ukrainian troops’ position and tighten the circle around Horlivka and Donetsk. “This way the majority of the ways to supply resources to the terrorists and illegal armed formations were cut off,” added Colonel Lysenko.
Combat engineering units and Ukrainian servicemen are diffusing the mines and neutralizing the remaining terrorists in Ilovaysk. ATO troops are advancing towards the regions which are temporarily under terrorist control. Yesterday the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated Adviyivka in Donetsk oblast from terrorists. Combat is underway to free Pervomaysk. “Thanks to the liberation of Debaltsevo, we have established weapons, ammunition and food supplies to the units and regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. We have also evacuated the wounded. After freeing the city, ATO troops discovered a big amount of equipment, ammunition and weaponry, which were left behind during the Russian mercenaries’ hasty retreat,” notified Andriy Lysenko.
The terrorists have set up military positions at the Malaysian Boeing 777 crash cite near Torez. They have accumulated a large amount of heavy artillery and mined the routes to this territory. “This makes the work of international experts, who are trying to start working and establish the reason of the Boeing 777 crash, impossible,” added the NSDC spokesman.
In the last 24 hours the terrorists opened fire at roadblocks and positions of the Ukrainian troops around the localities of Pisky, Myrna Dolyna, Mayorske, Chervona Zorya, Stukalova Balka, Kozhevnya, Avdiyivka, Dmytrivka, Stepanivka, Marynivka, Hayove, Chervonopartyzansk and Luhansk airport 25 times. “They are still shooting at the regiments of the National Border Service and the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the territory of the Russian Federation. The “Marynivka” border checkpoint was shot at by mine launchers, the villages of Amroriyivka and Stepanivka – by “GRAD-P” systems. “GRAD-P” systems are man-portable modified missile launch systems, the use of which cannot be traced by satellites,” said Andriy Lysenko during the press briefing.
As a result of combat, 1 Ukrainian soldier died and 11 were wounded in the last 24 hours. All the wounded have been transported to medical institutions and provided with according medical care.
“Last night at 10:35 p.m. the border troop from the “Uspenka” checkpoint discovered a group of armed terrorists which were trying to get to Russia, heading towards the village of Avilo-Fedorivsk in order to pick up heavy military machinery which was left for them deliberately by the Russian soldiers. The border servicemen engaged in combat and prevented border violation. The rest of the mercenaries were forced to retreat from the border. However, in another area of the border, 7 tanks managed to get through from Nova Nadezhda (RF) to the locality of Dibrovka (Ukraine),” noted the NSDC spokesman when talking abut the situation at the Ukraine-Russian border.
The Russian Federation continues increasing its military presence at the border with Ukraine. Between Starodub and Voronok, from the Russian side, across from the Chernihiv border troop, 15 kilometers away from the border, the movement of a military column including 15 military equipment units, in particular 2 “GRAD” systems, 1 BMP, 2 fuel transportation vehicles and 10 personnel carriers, was detected. An echelon with up to 50 tanks arrived at the “Kantemyrivka” railway station in Voronezh oblast, 20 kilometers away from the Ukrainian border.
Rotation of military units and regiments of the National Guard of Ukraine is underway, those that have served the established term in the ATO zone. “At the moment rotation of servicemen of the Western operative territorial troop is underway, who have proved heroic during the liberation of the localities in Donetsk oblast. Rotation is going according to plan, under wartime conditions. The commandment is doing everything possible to ensure the safety of our servicemen during the rotation and relocation process,” stated Andriy Lysenko.
A telephone hotline has been set up for the families of the antiterrorist operation participants on orders of the Ukrainian President. The consultants will provide information about the soldiers, which are defending the Motherland, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on a daily basis to those who call the number (044) 255-69-55. The information of the hotline will be updated twice a day.
In Rovenky, Donetsk oblast, the mercenaries established a curfew. Private car circulation is prohibited, there is no water or food in the shops. In Horlivka of Donetsk oblast the mercenaries have started a forced mobilization of the male population. The majority of the male population is in hiding. There are about six “GRAD” systems set up near the “Aleksandriya” food market.
Terrorists continue to set up their firing positions at civilian objects. “Grad” systems have been set up on the territory of the local enrichment factory in Sukhodolsky of Luhansk oblast to shoot in the direction of Lutuhino. In the city of Briantsy of Luhansk oblast, two “Grad” systems have been set up on the territory of the burrowing equipment plant. An artillery battery with about ten large-calibre canons was set up in Rovenky of Luhansk oblast, on the territory of the automobile base (Gagarin, 19 block). The entranceway to the automobile base is guarded by four BMD’s. “When leaving Ukrainian localities, the terrorists try to destroy the public utility infrastructure. It is strategically important for them to ruin means of communication which provide the people with information on what is really happening in Ukraine. This is why the editorial committee of the central Ukrainian Defense Ministry publishing house “Narodna Armiya” decided to issue additional newspapers to be spread in the liberated cities,” said the NSDC spokesman.
Taking into account the lack of real steps on Russia’s part to deescalate the conflict in the east of Ukraine, the decision to impose third-level sanctions on the Russian Federation has been made at the assembly of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU. According to the head of the EU Council Herman van Rompuy, they presume a limit on the access of Russian state finance institutions to the EU markets, an embargo on arms trade, a ban on exporting dual-use goods, as well as the decrease of Russia’s access to oil extraction technology. The limitations will be imposed on August 1st.
During a briefing regarding the situation in Ukraine, U.S. President Barack Obama stated that the coordinated use of new sanctions by Washington and Brussels against the Russian energy sector, defense industry and financial institutions, will increase pressure on Russia and significantly weaken its economy. As such, he noted that the U.S.A. had officially stopped financing economical development projects in Russia, as well as giving out loans that encourage export to Russia. Washington is imposing additional limitations on the following Russian establishments and organizations: “Bank of Moscow,” “VTB Bank,” “Rosselgospbank,” “United Shipbuilding Corporation of the Russian Federation.”
Meanwhile the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated yesterday that the American government has clear evidence that Russia continues supplying weapons and ammunition to the terrorists, as well as financing their activities in the east of Ukraine. Besides, there is proof of artillery and missile fire from Russian territory at the territory of Ukraine. John Kerry emphasized that Russia’s actions do not testify that it wants to stop the violence and bloodshed.
