By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Russian nationalists claim that American and Polish mercenaries are involved in Ukrainian military operations in eastern Ukraina.
According to a news report which appeared in the pro Russian Voice of Sevastopol, those troops were withdrawn from Gorlovka, which has been the scene of fighting as the Ukrainian Army has been trying to seal off Donetsk to begin a final assault on Donetsk.
Ukrainian forces appear to be having difficulty sealing a ring around Donetsk, but have begun shelling Donetsk and Lugansk, according to a separate report which appeared in the online edition of the pro Russian Voice of Sevastopol. Reports are the Ukrainian military is attempting to regroup their forces in the area of Gorlovka, which have been heavily battered in recent fighting.
Reports from two days ago indicated Ukrainian forces were attempting to complete encirclement of Donetsk, cutting the city off from its northeasterly sister city of Lugansk. According to information on Russian blogs pro Russian fighters are trying to keep the road between Lugansk and Donetsk open for a Russian humanitarian supply column expected to enter eastern Ukraina this week.
All the fighting in the last 36 hours between Ukrainian regulars and pro Russian forces center around the municipality of Krasnii Luch, east of Donetsk, where several fire fights have taken place over the last four or five days.
According to current information presented in the pro Russian publication, troops of the Ukrainian 25th Airborne Brigade were forced to retreat from their positions, even as Ukrainian forces begin shelling and air strikes in Donetsk and Lugansk.
The shelling of Donetsk began after 1200 hrs Tuesday after about 12 hours of relative peace in the region. Additional shelling began around 1800 hrs and continued for about 90 minutes as artillery impacts were recorded in the Yasinovataya area and in the Voroshilov district. The report said two civilians were wounded. Other reports said dozens were wounded and killed.
A second artillery strike was recorded in the southern sectors of Donetsk near the Yelenovka area. That shelling began around midnight Wednesday local time. Artillery strikes were recorded on Ulitsa Biryuzovo.
Artillery strikes were also reported in the Kalinovka and Budyonovka areas near Donetsk.
Meanwhile near Krasnii Luch, Russian fighters claim to have two "punisher" brigades encircled, the 30th and 95th Brigades, which are suffering from a lack of food. This units are also undergoing artillery rocket attacks from pro Russian forces in the area.
The same report said that Ukrainina forces were attempting a new combined arms operation to take the town of Vuhlehirsk (Russian name: Uglegorsk), about 20 kilometers east of Donetsk.
Pro Russian forces are said to have destroyed a heavy rocket artillery battery in the same area, near the settlement of Stepanivka, where about ten vehicles, including Urugan 300mm artillery rocket launchers (MRL) and supply vehicles, were located. It is reported that pro Russian forces were using tanks and artillery to counter Ukrainian forces in the area.
The pro Russian blogger Colonel Cassad said Tuesday that the forces righting in he area appear to be in a state of dynamic equilibrium, although Ukrainian forces were faring less well than expected. Other report say Ukrainian forces were forced to expend their own mobile reserves to deal with counterattacks by pro Russian forces.
Paid media have been silent since Tuesday about Russian president Vladimir Putin's humanitarian aid convoy, set to enter Ukraina this week. Although it has been generally reported that Ukraina along with its western allies including the United States, have opposed the convoy, it is rumored that Ukrainian government officials are meeting to discuss the issue in closed meetings. It is said Poroshenko wants he convoy to go no further in than Lugansk and to enter only through the northern region of Kharkiv. According to various news account a total of 287 vehicles are in the Russian convoy.
Chris Covert writes news for Rantburg.com