Repairs on the Avdievka water filtration plant were delayed once again due to fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian backed rebels, according to Russian language news accounts.
Avdievka is a northern suburb of Donetsk city, and has been controlled by Ukrainian forces since the summer of 2014.
The filtration plant has been shut down numerous times since February 15th, when artillery exchanges between the two combatants forced the shutdown. Since that time the plant has been fired on repeatedly, according to rebel media, either damaging the power lines that operate the plant or driving out plant personnel because of security concerns.
The filtration plant serves all of Avdievka, as well as parts of Donetsk and nearby villages on both sides of the line of contact.
The latest outage is because of security concerns for electrical repair crews.
Physical damage to the plant has been limited to the building and to power lines which service the plant. Rebels say that last Saturday, Ukrainian forces fired small arms fire on vehicles carrying plant workers as they evacuated the water plant. Ukrainian artillery has been blamed for damage to the power lines feeding the plant in Yasinovataya.
Yasinovataya became a major issue between the two warring parties after Ukrainian forces moved into a gray zone in western Avdievka last year, making the line of contact much closer to the west. Artillery fire from Ukrainian forces in Yasinovataya has been nearly a daily feature since that time.
Now Ukrainian media is claiming that rebel forces fired rocket artillery on Avdievka on Sunday, and it has been rebel artillery fire that cut off Avdievka electricity. Ukrainian media said rebel forces fired a total of ten rockets into the town. The day before, Ukrainian media accused rebels of firing tank main gun fire on a high rise building in Avdievka. Rebels claimed that the Ukrainians staged the attack for the benefit of Ukrainian electronic media.
According to a news account in lb.ua, two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and five more were wounded in the fighting Sunday.
The Ukrainian KIAs died in a firefight in southern Donetsk. Although the exact location wasn't disclosed, Ukrainian media reports are that a firefight took place in Marinka between a Ukrainian fixed position and a rebel probe.
Rebel artillery hit Ukrainian positions in the southern Donetsk region at Nikolaevka, while rebel mortars stuck Ukrainian positions at Slavnoye, Gnutovo, Pavlopol and Berezovoye.
Near Donetsk city, rebel mortars hit Ukrainian positions at Butovka mine, Luganskovo and Nevelskovo.
In Lugansk, rebel mortars were reported hitting Ukrainian positions at Ekaterinovka, Bolguslaskovo, Novoaleksievka and Popasnoye.
According to a report compilation, firefights and mortar attacks have been taking place at several points near Donetsk city including at the Donetsk airport, the Petroskiy district, Yasinovataya, Staromykailovka, Zaitsevo and Spartak. Heavy artillery fire and ground combat have been taking place at Marinka, Yelenovka and Dokuchaevsk.
Near the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian artillery hit several locales including at Novoazovskoye, Sakhanka and Kominternovo.
The Donetsk ministry of defense reported that the March 4th seaborne attack by elements of the Ukrainian Navy aboard two small motor boats resulted in two Ukrainian dead and three wounded. One boat was heavily damaged in the attack and had to be towed back to Mariupol.