Militia fighting to wrench control of Yasynuvata, Amvrosiyivka - militia command
DONETSK, Ukraine. Aug 18 (Interfax) - A spokesman for the command of the militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said on Monday that militia forces were currently trying to wrench control of the city of Yasynuvata from Ukrainian army troops.
"Gunfire can be heard in the city. At the moment the militia is continuing to drive Ukrainian army units out of the city," the spokesman told Interfax.
Earlier reports said army forces had tried to break through to the city of Makiyivka through Yasynuvata, but the militia said it had stopped the advance. There have been no casualty or damage reports.
Also on Monday, Ukrainian army spokesmen named Yasynuvata as one of the sites of intense fighting.
The militia command also said on Monday afternoon that there was fighting underway currently near Amvrosiyivka, a town 60 kilometers from Donetsk.
" Ukrainian forces are surrounded near Amvrosiyivka, militia artillery has struck at their positions in Luzhky, Petrovsky, Novokaterynivka and the village of Oleksiyivske," the command told Interfax.
The size of the allegedly surrounded Ukrainian group was not yet clear.
Interfax has not yet been able to obtain comments from the Ukrainian military.
Meanwhile, in a report on Monday afternoon on changes to bus schedules, the Donetsk regional administration confirmed that fighting was in progress in the vicinity of Yasynuvata.
The report said that a viaduct near the village of Novobakhmutivka had been damaged, that there were battles in progress near Yasynuvata, and because of that, buses were currently taking a detour via Makiyivka, Panteleimonivka, Krasny Partizansk, and Dzerzhynsk, which made the average journey longer.
However, regular bus services had partially resumed between Donetsk, on the one hand, and Slovyansk and Svyatohirsk, on the other.
Within Donetsk, there were disruptions to public transportation in Petrovsky district and the airport area.
