Militia trying to encircle Ukrainian govt forces near Debaltseve, Donetsk region
DONETSK. Jan 29 (Interfax) - The defense ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk people's republic (DPR) reports bitter fighting near Debaltseve.
"Fighting is under way, and we are trying to seal a trap. The enemy is striving to reinforce its unit so as to prevent the trap from being sealed," Eduard Basurin, the chief of the DPR defense ministry's political directorate, told journalists.
The militia have so far been unable to take Debaltseve under their full control, and fighting is also under way for Maryinka, he said.
Ukrainian government forces have tried to break out toward the Donetsk airport and Debaltseve about 10 times over the past 24 hours, Basurin said.
The militia have accused the government forces of violating a ceasefire 59 times, and the government forces have accused the militia of more than 100 attacks.
"Fifty-nine ceasefire violations have been recorded over the past 24 hours; 11 civilians have been killed and 27 others injured. The militia have lost seven people as killed and 49 injured, while 11 Ukrainian troops have been killed and 37 others injured," Basurin said.
"Five civilians were killed and 17 injured in Donetsk, and four others killed and seven injured in Horlivka. The Ukrainian military shelled three districts of Donetsk, the central part of Horlivka, and also Makiyivka and Yasynuvata last night. Some private houses were destroyed by the fire," Basurin said.
He also claimed that the militia managed to destroy one Ukrainian tank and two automobiles the previous night.
At the same time, Basurin denied Kyiv's claims that the militia were responsible for terrorism and in fact accused Kyiv of this. "Ukrainian government forces are shelling residential neighborhoods to intimidate the civilian population and so make it affect the situation in a way beneficial to Kyiv. Therefore, not the DPR and LPR are terrorist organizations, but it is Ukraine that acts as a terrorist here," Basurin said.
Meanwhile, the press center of the Ukrainian antiterrorist operation (ATO) reported that the militia had shelled Ukrainian government forces' positions in the eastern part of the country more than 100 times over the previous 24 hours.
"The situation remains tense. The gunmen have shelled the ATO forces' positions 103 times over the past 24 hours. In the Luhansk sector, the terrorists fired small arms, artillery, and mortars upon Stanytsya Luhanska, Valuyske, and also Petrovske. While shelling this populated area, the gunmen used tank weapons," the ATO press center said.
In the Donetsk sector, the militia used mortars and artillery guns to shell Novolaspa, Opytne, Petrovske, Taranchuk, Slavne, and Mykolayivka, and BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers were used to shell Maryinka, Novotroyitske, and Novomykhailivka, it said.
The militia also fired four times upon Debaltseve, Luhanske, Maloorlivka, and Popasna and five times upon Zolote and Mius.
"At about 3:00 a.m., the enemy started an assault near Maloorlivka; however, facing firm resistance offered by the ATO forces, it had to retreat," it said.
The militia also fired small arms and mortars upon Orlovske and Chermalyk, which is near Mariupol. Grad multiple rocket launchers and artillery guns were also used to shell the communities of Pisky and Hranitne. "Servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces and other military units involved in the ATO are firmly holding their positions and offering worthy resistance to the gunmen," it said.