1 Ukrainian Soldier Killed, 3 Wounded, 6 Concussed; Donetsk Filtration Station Knocked Out

The Russia-backed forces in Donbass are trying to move the front line toward the east and Ukrainian troops are returning fire, according to Col. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the Defense Ministry on ATO [Anti-Terrorist Operation] issues, Unian reports.

“Traditionally, these attempts have suffered a fiasco,” said Col. Lysenko.

One Ukrainian soldier was killed, 3 wounded and 6 suffered concussions in the past reporting period, Unian reported.

He said on the Donetsk and Gorlovka lines, separatists violated the ceasefire in Verkhnyetoretskoye and fired on Ukrainian positions in Zaytsevo using armor. The Butovka mine position near Kamenka came under shell fire for two hours. Toward evening, the attacks intensified with mortar-launchers and tanks deployed.

The ATO uploaded a video of the attack.

At the Svetlodarsk Bulge, militants also fired small arms, mortar-launchers and armor from two directions.

The ATO further reported attacks on civilian areas of Maryinka and firing on Shirokino and Vodyanoye as well as Gnutovo and Lebedinskoye.

The Ukrainian Security Service reported that an informant for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) had been detained. He was alleged to have sent information about troop movements to the separatists while going back and forth to Ukrainian-controlled territory to pick up his pension.

Once again the Donetsk Filtration Station was knocked out due to shelling, affecting 22,000 people around Avdeyevka. The Ukrainian forces blamed separatist shelling, and the separatists blamed Ukrainian army shelling.

The separatist news service DAN-Info said that 7 homes were damaged due to Ukrainian shelling.

The DNR command said Ukrainian forces had used artillery, mortar-launchers, tanks, BMPs, BTRs, grenade-launchers and small arms to attack 14 towns along the front ine including Trudovskiye and Aleksandrovka in the Petrovsky District to the west of Donetsk. No injuries were reported.

The DNR human rights ombudsperson said 172 people had been killed since the start of the year and 385 wounded. Since the start of the conflict, 4,461 were reported to have been killed, including 604 women and 3,857 men.

— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick 

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