Two Ukrainian soldiers killed, some injured, concussed in Donbas - Kyiv official
KYIV/DONETSK. Feb 27 (Interfax) - Two servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces have been killed and four others injured and concussed in the fighting zone in Donbas in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko said.
"Over the past 24 hours, as a result of hostilities, two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, two injured and two concussed," Lysenko said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.
In all, eight hostile shell attacks have taken place in the direction of Luhansk over the period, including four mortar attacks on Ukrainian army positions, during which 25 rounds were launched, he said. Most fighting took place in the Popasna district, where the enemy carried out three mortar attacks between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and later used light weapons. In the Donetsk sector, Ukraine registered 23 hostile attacks over the period, including 12 mortar and tank attacks. Over 200 mortar rounds and 80 tank shells were launched against Ukrainian positions, Lysenko said.
"The epicenter of hostilities remains in the section of the front between Kamianka, Avdiivka and the Butivka Mine position. The enemy has amassed and is actively using tanks and mortars around Yakovlivka and Spartak. Hostile shelling starts before dawn, continues well into the morning, intensifying significantly in the afternoon [after 3 p.m.]," Lysenko said.
Medium-intensity hostilities continue on the Svitlodarsk bulge, south of Horlivka and at the Donetsk Airport, the spokesman said. On these frontiers, the enemy has used heavy weaponry, Lysenko said.
In the Mariupol sector, the enemy violated the ceasefire 31 times, using heavy weapons five times. In particular, the situation escalated in Maryinka, the Defense Ministry spokesman said.
Eduard Basurin of the self-proclaimed Donetsk people's republic (DPR) defense ministry had said earlier on Monday that the Ukrainian armed forces had shelled the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) 932 times over the past 24 hours.
"Of this number, heavy artillery was used four times; mortars of varying caliber, 225 times (of these, 64 were 120mm caliber rounds); IFVs [infantry fighting vehicles], 77 times; and anti-aircraft weapons, grenade launchers and small arms, 626 times. The damage toll is being clarified. DPR military servicemen sustained no losses," Basurin said at a briefing on Monday.
A total of 14 DPR populated localities were shelled, he said.