Ukrainian army reports strikes by militia and two armed clashes
KYIV. Dec 25 (Interfax) - Militia forces have opened fire on Ukrainian military positions in Donbas 35 times and there have been two armed clashes in the past 24 hours, the press center of Kyiv's army operation in eastern Ukraine reported on its Facebook account on Friday.
According to the press center, at around 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, a unit of up to 30 militiamen armed with 82mm mortars entered into an armed clash with Ukrainian soldiers near Mayorsk. The militia suffered losses and had to retreat two hours later.
Another armed clash broke out in the vicinity of Maryinka, where militia forces also sustained losses and had to retreat.
Positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Donetsk and Horlivka also came under militia fire overnight. Militia forces, using small arms, various grenade launchers and large-caliber submachine guns, both opened fire at random and carried out targeted strikes in the direction of Ukrainian military positions near Luhanske, Troitske, Mayorsk, Zaitseve, Novhorodske, Maryinka and Opytne. Snipers were also working in the area.
In a separate development, the militia fired infantry fighting vehicle weapons and anti-aircraft systems targeting positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Novhorodske. Ukrainian military positions in the vicinity of Maryinka also came under 82mm mortar fire.
More than five armed provocations staged by militia forces have been recorded in Donbas since midnight, the press center said.
In another development, acting on a tip-off, officers of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's central reconnaissance department and special services found a cache filled with weapons and ammunition near the village of Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region. Fifteen anti-tank hand-held grenade launchers and more than 12,000 different cartridges were confiscated from the cache.
