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6 Ukrainian soldiers killed in fighting in southern Donetsk
 A total of six Ukrainian soldiers were killed while on patrol in southern Donetsk Tuesday, according to Russian language news reports. According to an announcement by the Donetsk ministry of defense, two ten-man patrols were caught near Kominterovo at around 2100 hours Tuesday night, under the cover of darkness. Rebels claim the patrols were an attempt to break through. Both sides routinely send out patrols. From the sound and tenor of the reports, the Ukrainian action was more likely a probe, intended to test rebel response time and strength in the area. One Ukrainian patrol stumbled into a minefield, and apparently touched off the rebels' response. The Ukrainians were forced to withdraw under cover of mortar and grenade fire from the Ukrainian 59th Separate Motorized Rifle brigade. In other news, three rebel soldiers were killed and another 13 between the rebel and Ukrainian sides were wounded in ongoing shelling in eastern Ukraine, according to Russian language news accounts. According to a news report which appeared in lb.ua, a total of 10 residences were burned in shelling by Russian backed rebels in Verkhnetoretskoe village in the Yasinovataya section of northeastern Donetsk city. Yasinovataya has been a violent point of contention between the two combatants ever since Ukrainian units pushed into the region in a bid to cut off Gorlovka from Donetsk last year. The area the Ukrainians occupy overlooks the only hard topped road to connect Gorlovka with Donetsk city. It also is near the location of a water filtration plant which services both sides of the line of contact. According to a separate lb.ua report, three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in what was termed non stop overnight shelling which began at 1800 hrs and lasted to 0100 hrs Monday morning. Most of the shelling took place in the Avdievka industrial zone, which is in the eastern part of Avdievka. The report also stated that rebels shelled Ukrainian positions near Vodyanoye and Shirokino, which is close to the coast of the Sea of Azov, near Mariupol. Rebels fired 120mm mortars at Ukrainian positions in Lugansk near Krymsky. According to another lb.ua article, by Monday morning another five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in shelling, most of it in Avdievka and in the Mariupol region in southern Donetsk. According to the Donetsk ministry of defense web page, a total of three rebel soldiers were killed in shelling since Sunday. On Sunday, according to rebel media, one rebel soldier was killed in Ukrainian shelling. The announcement did not elaborate as to location. Yet another rebel report said another two rebel soldiers were killed on Monday, but the location and circumstances were not revealed as well. Another rebel report said that a total of 14 residences were burned in northern Donetsk city, specifically near Yasinovataya, in Spartak, Petrovsky district of Donetsk and in the south at Sakhanka. Posted by: badanov 2017-08-16 |
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