Ukrainian Troops Attacked DPR Positions near Zaytsevo: 10 Ukrainian Soldiers Killed

The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked positions of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) near the village of Zaytsevo. As result, 10 Ukrainian fighters and three DPR’s soldiers were killed.

Photo: EPA / Roman Pilipey

An attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on positions of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) near the village of Zaytsevo on the northern outskirts of Gorlovka resulted in the deaths of three DPR’s soldiers, while the Ukrainian side lost 10 fighters, Deputy Commander of the DPR’s Operational Command, Eduard Basurin, said at a briefing on Tuesday.

“This morning, the Ukrainian side undertook an attempt of penetration in this area near the Zaytsevo checkpoint in order to commit a terrorist act against civilians,” Basurin said. “As a result of the clashes, which lasted about 35 minutes, our side lost three soldiers, while ten Ukrainian saboteurs were killed.”

According to the Deputy Commander, soldiers of the republic threw the enemy back to its original positions, showing heroism and dedication.

He also stressed that a day before, Kiev requested that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Joint Center on Control and Coordination (JCCC) provide a ceasefire in the area of Zaytsevo in order to conduct engineering works on demining. The attempt of penetration of saboteurs was made after the DPR reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire in this area.

“According to our data, a group of saboteurs had a goal to penetrate into our territory and open fire on convoys of civilians at the checkpoint, and then accuse us of killing people,” the Deputy Commander noted.

According to him, the attack was planned by the special operation forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The saboteurs wore uniform of the DPR Armed Forces and were armed with the Kalashnikov guns, equipped with barrel silencers.

On Monday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces opened fire on the village of Zaytsevo, using tank guns. Ukrainian military fired three shells, which exploded in the center of the village, near houses. There is no information on casualties.