Ukraine Live Day 516: 1 Ukrainian Soldier Killed, 5 Wounded; Pesky, Donetsk Under Fire

July 18, 2015
Members of the Ukrainian armed forces stay at a building damaged in fighting with pro-Russian separatists in Pesky village, near Donetsk, Ukraine, July 6, 2015. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko

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1 Ukrainian Soldier Killed, 5 Wounded; Avdeyevka and Donetsk Under Shell Fire

One Ukrainian soldier was killed and five were wounded in battle in the last 24 hours, Unian.net reported, citing Andrei Lysenko, the spokesman for the presidential administration on ATO (Anti-Terrorism Operation) issues.

Unian also reported that the situation had worsened in Avdeyevka, which was twice shelled by Russian-backed fighters.

According to the ATO Center’s Facebook page (translation to English from Unian’s Russian translation by The Interpreter):

From 18:00 to 24:00 the Russian terrorist forces shelled the positions of the ATO about 60 times. Of these, 20 were from weapons banned by the Minsk agreements.

Militants fired on Avdeyevka from the village of Spartak with 120 mm mortar launchers. At about 5:00 am they shelled civilian areas of Avdeyevka from a tank.

About 22:00, near the village of Lebedinskoye, Ukrainian forces discovered a diversionary and reconnaissance group, forcing them to flee. The fighters have used 122-mm artillery 6 times, 120-mm mortar launchers 29 times and tanks 3 times.

Other areas shelled: Opytnoye, Granitnoye, Marinka, Novotoshovskoye, Pesky, Verkhnetoretskoye, Vodyanoe, Pervomayskoe, Novotroitskoye, Stanitsa Luganskaya, and Shirokino.

Russian media and pro-separatist sources have claimed that Ukrainian forces have shelled Donetsk and one civilian was killed.

Conflict reporters claim this is disinformation and that the shelling is actually coming from the side of the militants.

Note: a word for mortars in Russian is miny which are sent from minomyoty (mortar-launchers) so what is meant here are mortar shells, not mines.
Translation: an illustrative video – shells from the direction of Kuybyshevsky District (from the hill?) 100% authorship of the DNR wankers.
Translation: Novorossiya Dispatches – One person was killed as a result of shelling by Ukrainian forces of Kievsky Distirct in Donetsk.
Translation: I’m writing from Pesky! Attention!

The screen grab from the cell phone says the following:

The orcs are bombing residential quarters of Donetsk!!!!!!!! There will be a lot of casualties!!!!! 21:48

[Name deleted], soon (it’s a matter of hours) there will be a provocation with a video camera that our forces are making an offensive (the task is not to retaliation and not to make movements no matter what happens). 21:48

They have turned all the guns toward Donetsk and are pounding on it!!!! 21:49

“Orcs” is the term Ukrainians use from Lord of the Rings about the Russian-backed separatists.

Translation: we’re feeling this for 2 hours straight.

— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick