6 Ukrainian Soldiers Wounded in Battle; 1 Civilian Man Hurt in Russia-Backed Shelling of Avdeyevka

A soldier walks by an improvised lean-to at the Ukrainian position near Gorlovka. Screen grab from video uploaded April 5, 2017 by Ukrainian military. 

Five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in battle over night, according to a report from Liga.net citing the daily briefing by Col. Andriy Lysenko, Defense Ministry spokesman.

In its evening dispatch at 18:00, the ATO reported another soldier was wounded, bringing the total for this 24-hour period to 6.

The ATO also reported one civilian was wounded in the shoulder by shrapnel as he worked in his garden in Old Avdeyevka as a result of Russia-backed forces shelling the area. He was taken to the hospital.

Col. Lysenko reported  (translation by The Interpreter);

On the Lugansk line, Russia-backed forces opened fire 4 times at ATO positions; three in the Novoaydar district and once from a sniper rifle in Troitskoye near Popasnyaya. “These were short bursts of shelling, during day-time hours, and were of a provocative nature, said Lysenko.

On the Donetsk line, there was shelling of long duration, from 20 to 90 minutes. A sniper fired from the area of the Donetsk Airport, and four rounds of shells were fired at the Avdeyevka industrial zone. There were 20 ceasefire violations in total on the Donetsk line.

On the Mariupol line, Maryinka district and the district of Dokuchayevsk to the west were fired on by militants. A sniper was active in Novotroitskoye and militants fired from mortar-launchers in Krasnogorovka and Bogdanovka.

After 16:00, a militant diversionary and reconnaissance group was active near Maryinka; Ukrainian forces opened fire and repelled the group. There were no casualties on the Ukrainian side from that encounter.

The ATO reported in its evening dispatch that there were 18 additional attacks on Ukrainian positions, notably from 82-mm mortars, heavy machines guns and small arms on Avdeyevka. Grenade-launchers and small arms were used on Vodyanoye. Heavy machine guns were fired on Peski and Zaytsevo; a sniper was also active near Peski.

On the Mariupol line, militants used 82-mm mortars, grenade-launchers and small arms to attack Ukrainian positions at Krasnogorovka and heavy machines guns as well as grenade-launchers and small arms on Pavlopol and Vodyanoye. 

On the Lugansk line, 120-mm mortars were fired on Sizoye; Ukrainian forces did not return fire.

— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick 

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