The Ukrainian Armed Forces are carrying out an attempt to break into the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) during a so-called truce. The Yasinovataya checkpoint and the Donetsk airport are gradually returning to the usual ‘fighting graphics.’ Luhansk found a trace of the Right Sector in the events, taking place in Donbass.
Photo: Narodnye novosti Rossii / Mikhail Andronik
The situation in Donbass continues to deteriorate. The number of ceasefire violations by the Ukrainian Armed Forces grows. In addition, Ukrainian military opens fire in broad daylight. Such an unexpected announcement was made by acting head of Gorlovka’s, Ivan Prikhodko.
As it turned out, residents of the village of Zaytsevo came under fire of Ukrainian mortars at 2:30 pm. The pro-Kiev security forces specially shelled public gathering places near the similarly-named checkpoint. “According to our data, about 100 civilian cars, a passenger bus and, at least, 50 pedestrians were in a ‘gray zone’ at the time of the shelling,” Prikhodko said. Fortunately, no one was injured by the attack.
However, two hours later, sad news came from Petrovsky district of Donetsk. “This afternoon, a military man was killed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ gunfire in the village of Trudovskoy,” the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) security agencies reported. The soldier was killed by a light anti-tank weapon. The fire was opened by the Donbass-Ukraine battalion in the area of Marinka.
The bombardment covered an attempt of the Ukrainian security forces to break into the DPR territory and capture militia positions. The attack was successfully repulsed by defenders of the republic. “In this regard, we reserve the right to respond hard to such actions of the Ukrainian security forces,” Deputy Commander of the DPR’s Operational Command, Eduard Basurin, noted during a briefing.
But Wednesday’s provocations by the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not end on this. Around 9 pm, residents of Donetsk and Makeyevka have heard a ‘roar of the ceasefire’ at the northern outskirts. After seven days of parody of the ceasefire, the Ukrainian Forces returned to fighting points: the Yasinovataya checkpoint and the Donetsk airport came under fire of small arms and mortars.
About 30 shells of 82 and 120-mm calibers were launched by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the night. According to military sources of the FAN news agency, the airport, Volvo Center, the outskirts of Yasinovataya and the village of Sahanka became targets of the firing. The DPR’s Operational Command also added Dokuchayevsky, Staromykhailovka and Zhabichevo to this list of the targets of the Ukrainian Army. Reportedly, the fire was opened by Ukrainian units, stationed in Avdeevka, Peski and Shirokino. According to Basurin, over the past day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire 128 times.
The number of shooting attacks in the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) has increased three times compared to the previous day. Militias in the district of the monument to Prince Igor were attacked by the Ukrainian security forces, used the AGS grenade machine guns. The shelling was carried out from the direction of Luhansk Cossack village. Kalinovka was also shelled from the same direction with tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns. The district of Hryaschevka village came under fire of small arms from the area of Sizyi. According to the Lugansk people’s militia, there are no casualties.
“First of all, this shows an inability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Command to ensure fulfillment of the tasks for implementation of the ceasefire,” spokesman for the LPR Defense Ministry, Maj. Andrey Marochko, noted. He laid the responsibility for violation of the armistice on commander of the 28th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Col. Zubovsky, and commander of the 54th Ukrainian Brigade, Col. Gorbatyuk.
However, according to Marochko, the greatest threat to a shaky truce in Donbass is nationalists of the Right sector, who “openly show their flags and provoke the both sides to show aggression and kindle a fire confrontation.”
At the same time, the Ukrainian side put forward counter charges. According to the press-center of the Ukrainian Anti-Terror Operation (ATO), 20 shooting attacks by militia were allegedly spotted in Donbass for the past day. Eight incidents occurred in the direction of Donetsk, nine – in Mariupol direction, and three – in Luhansk direction. However, spokesman for the ATO also added that the minimum number of attacks was recorded at the night, as well as no one Ukrainian soldier was killed or injured in the past day.
Kiev’s positive news inspired deputy head of the OSCE SMM Alexander Hug to make a loud statement. “Now, finally, there is an opportunity to put an end to this conflict,” Hug said. For the first time in a long time I have a very strong hope that this is real.”
However, the DPR’s intelligence reported that four units of the Pion self-propelled gun and eight units of the Akatsiya self-propelled artillery platform arrived in the frontline village of Chernenko, which is controlled by the 36th separate brigade of marines of the Ukraine Armed Forces.
In addition, the Ukrainian forces seized a chemical-metallurgical factory in Volnovakha district. According to intelligence reports, Ukrainian Army is going to use the factory to place forbidden military hardware, which will arrive in the ATO zone from 15 to 20 September. The events, taking place on the Ukrainian side of the front line, does not look as a preparation for a peaceful life with the Donbass’ republics.