Kyiv, August 7, 2014 – “Group of international expert working at “Malaysiya Airlines” Boeing 777 crash site was made to retreat from the crash site and return to their base because of attacks by fire from the side of terrorists who are still holding aircraft crash site under their control. Let us recall that on Monday an expert group consisting of 110 experts from the Netherlands, Australia and Malaysia as well as nine members of OSCE special monitoring committee was also withdrawn from the place of the crash due of to the militants’ outshooting. They managed to work on site for an hour and a half only”, – claimed the spokesman of the Information-Analytical Center of the National Security and Defense Council, Col. Andriy Lyasenko, during the briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
In this connection Prime minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte called upon suspending body search of people who died in “Malaysiya Airlines” Boeing 777 crash at Donbas. According to the Prime minister, it is too dangerous to continue searching. Mark Rutte complimented the mission’s work and promised the victims’ relatives that the search was going to be resumed.
Please be reminded that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are not conducting any combat activity within 20 km from the place of the International experts’ group tasks fulfilment as well as 10 km along convoy traffic route.
Combat activity in the conflict area
Anti-terrorist operation in the East continues. Ukrainian troops are making a lodgment.
During last 24 hours ATO forces made fire contact with terrorists 19 times in the area of Mayorske, Zelenopillya, Sabivka, Dyakove, Ilovaysk, Tryokhizbenka, Andriyivka, Krasnyi Yar, Pisky, Lisne, Hovohannivka, Maryanivka and Luhansk populated localities.
Bombardment of Ukrainian troops from the Russian Federation territory continued using light weapons, mortar guns and “Grad” rocket launchers. In particular, yesterday Russians outshot a checkpoint nearby Dyakove settlement and infantry soldiers nearby Novohannivka village using mortar guns. Russian armed forces outshot positions nearby Krasnyi Yar, Maryanivka and Sabivka with “Grad” rocket launchers. Column of infantry and troopers was attacked by shellfire nearby Lisne village.
Yesterday night Russians during one hour were outshooting positions of mixed border detachment nearby Yuhanivka village in Luhansk region from the territory of Monotskyi populated locality in Rostov region, Russian Federation, using howitzers. 46 shots total were made. There are wounded among the border guards.
We inform that 18 officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 28 border guard officers are still being kept by force in the territory of the Russian Federation. During all this time Russian investigating officers have been forcing Ukrainians to confess that they were intentionally outshooting Russian territory. According to information collected, criminal cases have been initiated against 18 servicemen of ours. Ukrainian Consul General from Rostov-na-Donu was trying to meet our nationals and find out the basis for their detention.
Russian side illegally refused him a meeting, crudely violating standards of the international law.
Border guards keep recording Russian pilotless aircrafts flights above Ukrainian territory. During last 24 hours air targets were detected in area of border guard service department responsibility in Kherson region: one pilotless aircraft was flying over Perekopskyi cove in Kherson region water surface and a second one was flying from the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea towards Chaplynka village at the height of approximately 1 km. At 11:15 pm at the same direction another pilotless aircraft violated Ukrainian airspace at the height of approximately 1.5 km. Facts of airspace violation do not remain unanswered. Yesterday at 9:40 pm servicemen of the 8th battalion of the territorial defence jointly with border guards detented and shot down a Russian pilotless aircraft in Prazov district of Zaporizhzhya region.
International community also responds to the facts of Russian aggression. In particular, the Ministry of Defence of Israel prohibited its defence complex companies to conduct any negotiations on supplying the Russian Federation with any pilotless aircrafts or technologies. The abovementioned restrictions apply to the active contracts as well.
Russia continues supplying weapons and mercenaries to the East of Ukraine. Yesterday military equipment crossing Mius river nearby Chervona Zorya village in Donetsk region was detected.
9 tanks, 3 APCs, 2 Ural vehicles were shifted to Ukrainian territory nearby Provallya village in Luhansk region from the Russian Federation side and in Krasnodonsk district movement of another convoy of military equipment, weapons and ammunition was detected, moving from Donetsk in Rostov region. The convoy consisted of APCs and trucks, their number is being established.
Situation in populated localities of the conflict zone
Militants and purposely ruining residential quarters and infrastructure in Zhovtnevyi, Leninskyi, Kamyanobrodskyi, Artemivskyi districts in Luhansk with shellfire, passing it off as actions of Ukrainian troops.
As a result of bombardment militants damaged gas pipeline between Horlivka and Dzerzhynsk in Donetsk region, which supplies gas to Mayorsk district in Horlivka. At present in is impossible to conduct repairs as the field where the pipeline lies was mined by the terrorists.
Raiders made an unsuccessful attempt to blast a railway bridge across the river in Yevsuh village of Bilovodskyi district, Luhansk region. They partially damaged pedestrian part of the bridge. Body fragments of one of the raiders remained on the site of the incident.
Terrorists outshot and ruined central storehouse, oxygen cabin and dispatcher office of Motor transport service of Luhansk subdivision of “Luhanskgaz”. As a result of it, emergency service operation of the enterprise has been frozen.
Within 24 hours 40 messages about people suspected of terror activity, information about fire positions and terrorists’ location were transmitted to ATO headquarters hotline 094-837-18-05.
International support
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko held a telephone conversation with US Vice-president Joseph Biden. Joseph Biden assured that in any situation the USA will support the people of Ukraine. Wide range of issues for cooperation in political, economic and military sphere has been discussed.
In particular, let us recall that yesterday list of US sanctions against Russia in energy sphere was published and the officially took effect. New round of restrictions envisages prohibition of supply of equipment for mining at depth over 152 metres, for Arctic shelf development and shale deposits of oil and gas. These sanctions totally comply with restrictions previously designated by the EU. Nevertheless, sanctions from the US side are more stringent as they include clear definition of drilling depth which falls under restrictions.
US President Barak Obama declared that “sanctions work like expected, providing powerful pressure upon Russian economy”. President of the USA also stated that at present situation Russia is facing a choice between diplomatic way of Ukrainian crisis settlement and its current line continuation, leading to even more losses for economy of the country and its people.
Canadian government announced extension of the sanctions list against the Russian Federation, which includes four Russian banks, two companies and 19 citizens of Russia and Ukraine, Crimean wine manufacturers “Novyi Svit” and “Massandra” as well as companies owning harbor facilities in Kerch and Sevastopol. Simultaneously, according to the Canadian Prime-minister Stephen Harper, his country coordinated extension of the sanctions list with decisions made by the USA and EU.
Additional information
Within last 24 hours 3 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 3 border guards and 1 serviceman of the National Guard of Ukraine died in combat, 19 servicemen wounded.
