Civil war in Ukraine: News & discussion

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/politics/quieter-...-recorded-only-in-mariupol-sector-782869.html
One soldier was killed and another one wounded the day before as militant forces launched some 50 attacks

Combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 22 times in the past 24 hours, including 16 times in the Mariupol sector, two - in the Luhansk sector, and another four – in the Donetsk sector, UNIAN reports citing the press center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

In the Mariupol sector, the enemy violated the "ceasefire" near the town of Maryinka and the villages of Hranitne and Pavlopil, using grenade launchers, machine guns and small arms. In addition, the occupiers fired 82mm mortars on Maryinka, as well as 122mm cannon artillery systems on the village of Shyrokyne.

In the Donetsk sector, the militants fired from an infantry fighting vehicle, grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms on the Ukrainian defenders of the village of Novhorodske, as well as 82mm mortars on the Ukrainian fortified positions in the town of Avdiyivka.
In the Luhansk sector, Russia's hybrid military forces opened fire from heavy machine guns and grenade launchers of various types on the Ukrainian fortified positions near the village of Triokhizbenka. Similar weapons were used by Russian-backed troops near the village of Novo-Oleksandrivka.

The situation was more tense on Ukraine's eastern front lines over the weekend. One Ukrainian serviceman was killed and another one wounded in Donbas on Sunday, when Ukrainian army positions came under 48 militants attacks.


*******************


Ukrainian volunteer aerial reconnaissance unit, known as Special Service Battalion ‘Sever' (‘North' in Russian) published the photos of Russian armour, hidden in some industrial area. Volunteers claim, that pictures were taken in one of the zones of current disengagement of forces. It means they are talking about the areas of village Zolote or Petrivske, because scheduled for yesterday withdrawal of forces from the Stanytsia Luhanska have failed.


Volunteers addressed OCSE monitors: "People are waiting for answers from you on two questions: "What the f... are they doing there?" and "Whether or not you can be the guarantor of the agreement implementation?" We have a lot of similar material. Quite a lot to draw up conclusions. You – OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine – we believe also have no illusions about the quality of implementation of the so-called arrangements by "gentlemen" from beyond the "porebrik" (Russians – UT)."

The photos show some infantry fighting vehicles (BMPs), armored personnel carriers (BTRs) and military trucks in some industrial area, hidden behind the fences. Some of the vehicles are disassembled, but most of them seem battle ready, and one even staying in fortified position.

As we reported, earlier volunteers reported about the discovery of Russian tanks hidden in Donetsk and self-propelled howitzers near the frontline in Donbas.

**************

http://uatoday.tv/crime/ukraine-s-security-service-detains-suspected-russian-spy-783134.html
A suspected agent of Russian military intelligence was caught red-handed in Ukraine's western city of Rivne, Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) reported on October 9.

According to the SBU, the man was seeking to obtain classified military information about Ukrainian Armed Forces as well as to recruit a senior Ukrainian army officer by offering him Russian citizenship and financial reward.

Neither the alleged spy nor his attempted recruit were named.

The detainee is a Ukrainian citizen, who resides in Russia, according to the SBU.

The SBU claimed it was given a tip-off about the agent by the officer whom he tried to turn to the Russian side.

The alleged agent was detained while being handed a flash drive containing what he believed was classified data.

The arrest came just a day after Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko was charged with espionage in Russia.
*****************


http://uatoday.tv/press/ukrainian-war-prisoners-languish-in-limbo-on-both-sides-ap-783234.html
Separatist 'officials' said last month they had reached a tentative agreement with Ukraine to release 47 prisoners, in exchange for Ukraine freeing 618



Just three days after Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Lazarenko was taken prisoner of war in Ukraine's east, a peace agreement was signed under which the sides agreed to an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange. A year and a half later, his wife still waits desperately for his return.

The so-called Minsk Agreement on ending the war between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces is floundering on many issues, but prisoner releases appear to be one of the most intractable.

Amnesty International and Human Rights watch allege that both sides have arbitrarily detained civilians, sometimes holding them incommunicado for months in prisons that authorities don't acknowledge exist.

The sides cite widely varying figures for how many prisoners they're holding. Both appear to be holding the issue over the other's head to force concessions on other topics, which include holding elections in Ukraine's separatist region and restoring Ukraine's full control over its border with Russia.

"Our expectations have been thwarted by politicians' plans," Lazarenko's wife, Natalya, told The Associated Press. "After Minsk, the prisoners became an instrument of political trading, they're seen as political commodities."

*************
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/375639.html
Four Ukrainian servicemen were wounded in the antiterrorist operation area in Donbas in the past 24 hours; no one was killed, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman on military operation issues Andriy Lysenko has said.

"None of our troops were killed in the hostilities in the past 24 hours, but four servicemen were wounded," he told at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

 

[Hindustani78]

The 25th Separate Airborne Brigade underwent an active phase of the brigade tactical training. These drills involved reservists and military volunteers.

Airborne Troops Commanding General Mykhailo Zabrodskyi observed and praised the maneuvers and professionalism of the military.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/news/death-toll-rising-amid-violent-fighting-near-mariupol-783814.html
Oct. 11, 2016

Militants reportedly intensifying attacks near the city

Ukraine's losses in the Donbas warzone are mounting up as the Russian-backed separatist forces have been intensifying their attacks in the conflict region.

Two Ukrainian servicemen died, 8 were wounded and three suffered from contusion in the past 24 hours, the country's Defense Ministry spokesman Andrii Lysenko reported Tuesday, October 11.


Although there was no elaboration on the location where the losses had taken place, Mariupol and its surroundings had been reported as a new hotspot over the past several days.

Yesterday the militants escalated the combat there by launching 27 attacks on the government forces. 152-mm and 122-mm artillery was used to shell the positions of Ukrainian soldiers at the villages near the city.

The ceasefire in the Luhansk region was violated 17 times, according to Kyiv.


Overall, the militants opened fire 47 times overnight.

The escalation is taking place amid seemingly successful agreement on the withdrawal of troops.

Earlier, Ukraine and the separatists pulled back at two key areas in the conflict region. An identical procedure is also planned at Stanytsia Luhanska.

http://uatoday.tv/crime/sbu-detains-militant-highly-decorated-for-killing-ukrainians-784044.html
16:48 Oct. 11, 2016

Militant fought against Ukraine since 2014 and was captured trying to recon Ukrainian positions near Mariupol

Militant of the so-called "Donetsk Peoples Republic" forces (declared by Ukrainian Prosecutor's General office to be terrorist organization) with call sign "Phil" was captured by Ukrainian fighters near Mariupol. He was on reconnaissance duty trying to reveal the positions of Ukrainian army units on that direction, Security Service of Ukraine informs.

35-year-old resident of the town of Avdiivka (Donetsk region, Ukraine) took part in the war against Ukrainian government forces since 2014 on the side of Kremlin-backed militants. He fought near Sloviansk, Shyrokyne, Sahanka, Savur-Mohyla (almost all main battles of Donbas war on the territory of Donetsk region).

"For his crimes terrorist leaders repeatedly have noted him with ‘rewards'," SBU report states.

Press-service of the SBU also published a few pages from the militant's service book plus a video of his interrogation. Now he is taken into custody, he is suspected in ‘creating, leading or membership in the terrorist organization.'

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/press/russian-proxies-fight-each-other-for-control-over-smuggling-wp-784174.html

The situation among the Russian-backed separatists is highly volatile


Jack Losh analyzes the connection between the murders of the most notorious militant leaders and the smuggling in Donbas in the article ‘War in Ukraine helps smugglers in the black market get richer' for The Washington Post.

"A separatist commander is gunned down while dining in a Moscow restaurant. Law enforcement agents uncover a makeshift underground pipeline pumping oil from Russia into a Ukrainian border village. Rebel leaders carry out a widespread purge in one of Ukraine's breakaway regions, detaining senior officials and military personnel alike.

Seemingly disparate events, but could the black market be the common link?

…

The main prize in the industrial, war-wracked Donbas region is the illicit trade in Ukrainian coal and Russian oil. At the retail end, smuggled fuel is most often sold at car-repair garages and tire dealerships, with most operations run by low-level opportunists. Ukraine's security services, the SBU, publicizes its anti-smuggling efforts with occasional photos of masked agents digging up illegal pipelines, which can run for a few miles in length.

Business arrangements among smugglers in government-controlled territory appear stable, but the situation among the Russian-backed separatists is highly volatile. Profits may be lucrative but the fight for them is vicious, and business disputes can turn bloody.

Take the case of Yevgeny Zhilin. During Kyiv's pro-European street protests in the winter of 2013-2014, this former fight club manager emerged as a key militant counterrevolutionary. He later raised a separatist battalion as the east descended into armed conflict. Last month, the 40-year-old was murdered in an exclusive restaurant on the outskirts of the Russian capital. It does appear that a business deal had soured. A source told the respected Kommersant newspaper that Zhilin was killed in a feud over the control of sales of gasoline, diesel and coal.

Around the same time, LNR erupted with factional infighting. Dozens of regime figures were imprisoned and a former prime minister, Gennady Tsypkalov, died in detention under mysterious circumstances. One insider described it as a "power struggle within the remnants of the Party of Regions," referring to the dissolved political party of Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's ousted president and notorious kleptocrat. Smuggling routes provide a key source of revenue for Ukraine's separatist elite, and some of those detained in the purge reputedly presided over the unregulated trade in energy supplies. Wealth and power go hand in hand, and some regard the crackdown as a means of consolidating both."

****************

http://uatoday.tv/crime/spain-arrests-ukrainian-sailors-in-drug-trafficking-case-784504.html
Sailors were allegedly involved in the supply of drugs and weapons to Iraq and Libya

Eleven Ukrainian sailors and a citizen of Uzbekistan have been arrested and investigated in Spain for their alleged involvement in a network that supplies weapons and drugs to militants in Iraq and Libya.

The arrests occurred as part of a joint operation, conducted by Spain, Italy, France and Greece in cooperation with the European Police Office and US Drug Enforcement Administration since 2015.


According to the law enforcers, the police have exposed around 100 tons of hashish, more than 11 thousand weapons and arrested 109 individuals since the beginning of the operation.

The network is presumably controlled by Syrians, and supplies weapons and drugs to militants in Libya and other countries, including terrorist groups of jihadists.

*********************
http://uatoday.tv/news/fighting-rages-on-in-eastern-ukraine-784714.html
Area near Mariupol seemingly becoming a new hotspot


The new day in eastern Ukraine still hasn't brought peace to the conflict region, despite all the agreements on ceasefire and truce.

On October 12 Kyiv reported of four wounded Ukrainian soldiers overnight, although, unlike the previous day, the country managed to avoid losses among its troops.

Still, the situation in the area is far from stable, as the Russian-backed separatists launched 44 attacks on the positions of the government forces.

The most intense shooting once again took place in the vicinity of Mariupol as militants opened fire 34 times, using 122-mm and 120-mm artillery once again to attack the villages of Shyrokyne and Vodyane not far away from the industrial city.

A militant sniper was active in the Donetsk sector, where militants also used grenade launchers and machine guns. They shelled government-controlled Avdiivka, located north of Donetsk, with 122-mm artillery.

The night wasn't calm in the Luhansk region either, with seven ceasefire violations, registered by Ukraine.

In the latest report the country's Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian soldiers were forced to open retaliatory fire several times.

*****************
http://uatoday.tv/society/authoriti...victims-of-war-in-eastern-ukraine-784964.html
Oct. 12, 2016
Ongoing fighting in Donbas seriously affects lives of the most unprotected ones – children and elderly people


War in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions, officially called the Anti-Terrorist Operation, has already claimed lives of at least 68 children. This sad statistic was reported on Wednesday by Ukraine's Deputy Social Policy Minister Serhiy Ustymenko.

According to Ustymenko, 152 children were wounded as a result of military aggression, when about 70,000 were forced to leave their homes and seek safety in other villages and towns of Ukraine.

Almost 1800 kids of Ukrainian servicemen became half-orphans because their fathers were killed in eastern Ukraine or died later of injuries sustained in Donbas.

According to UN data, more than 30,000 people have suffered from Russia's undeclared war in eastern Ukraine, including almost 10,000 killed, and more than 20,000 injured.

About 1.6 million Ukrainians were forced to leave their homes and move to other cities. The government of Ukraine has held six waves of mobilization in a desperate attempt to protect the country.

****************

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/crime/donbas-militants-peppered-ukrainian-army-with-almost-400-shells-785634.html
Past 24 hours have also seen 36 ceasefire breaks in the ATO zone.

7 Ukrainian soldiers were wounded and another 2 received head injuries. One more civilian with shell fragment wounds was hospitalized from the frontline city of Maryinka. These are the past 24 hours in Ukraine's ATO zone.

Combat actions have been taking place along the whole of the frontline. Most active area for militant shelling was the Mariupol sector. Ukrainian Army positions were attacked 36 times with banned mortars, armored fighting vehicles, cannons and artillery there.

Ukraine's ATO HQ reports around 400 shells fired into the Ukrainian Armed Forces overnight.

Today, the parties to the latest framework Minsk deal, will have another try in disengaging their troops from Stanytsia Luhanska. The previous dialogue failed due to ceasefire violations, which is a precondition for the withdrawal of forces.

*********************
http://uatoday.tv/politics/seven-ukrainian-soldiers-wounded-in-donbas-conflict-zone-785669.html
Two more servicemen suffer concussion as armed hostilities intensify.

No Ukrainian servicemen were killed, but seven were wounded in fighting in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko reported.

"Fortunately, we had no fatalities over the past day, but seven servicemen of ours were injured and two more suffered concussion," he said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.


n total, combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian positions in Donbas 36 times in the past 24 hours, including 20 barrages in the Mariupol sector, 14 in the Luhansk sector, and two in the Donetsk sector.

Government-controlled Avdiivka was previously reported as the most violent location of the whole front, but in recent days the fighting has peaked in villages some 20 kilometers east of Mariupol.

The area around the port city of the Sea of Azov, for a long time seen as a key objective by the Kremlin-backed forces, has become a new hotspot in the Donbas war zone.

*****************************

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/crime/explosives-found-on-route-of-defender-day-march-786106.html
Probably bloody anti-government sabotage planned by hostile forces', Ukraine's Interior Minister adviser said

Kyiv law enforcers exposed a cache of ammunition in an abandoned building in the city center, according to Zoryan Shkiryak, the adviser to Ukraine's Interior Minister. This is according to UNIAN.

'Just now, the Kyiv National Police Department and the SBU have found an ammunition depot in the non-residential premises on Hrushevskoho Street,' Shkiryak posted on Facebook Thursday.

'Probably the bloody anti-government sabotage was planned to be carried out by hostile forces (the Russian security services) during the March of Patriots, dedicated to the Defender Day and the Day of Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The cache of the terrorists was located on the route of the planned solemn procession. Investigation continues…' Shkiryak said.

He stressed the country's law enforces will stay on high alert in case anything goes wrong during the march.

*******************

http://uatoday.tv/politics/heavy-sh...n-ukraine-forces-ato-headquarters-786161.html

In the past 24 hours, Russian-backed militants violated ceasefire for over 25 times

No casualties have been reported from the Ukrainian Army among continuing hostilities in the eastern region of Donbass. Russian-backed militants keep violating ceasefire and using both firearms and heavy artillery, an ATO spokesman for Ukrainian Ministry of Defence Andriy Lysenko reports.

Militants engaged 152 mm cannons, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars for 15 times near the frontline city of Stakhaniv in the Luhansk region.

Also, for three hours the Ukrainian positions have been shelled s in the Avdiivka industrial zone.

Tensions are still high in the Mariupol sector. Heavy artillery strikes hit Ukrainian forces over 200 times on the front-line area between villages of Vodyane and Shirokine.

Provocations with firearms were also recorded near towns of Mariinka, Bohdanivka and Talakivka.

A citizen transiting ammunition to the occupied territories has been reported to have been detained by National Guards servicemen at a checkpoint. A cache of 7.63 mm ammo, signal rockets, and smoke grenades were revealed in a car after searching.

***************
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/376676.html

More than 2,500 Ukrainian army servicemen have been killed in the hostilities since the beginning of the anti-terrorist operation in Donbas, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.

"A total of 2,533 servicemen have been killed defending Ukraine from the Russian aggressor," the president said during celebrations of Defender of Ukraine Day in the center of Kyiv on Friday morning.

Approximately 280,000 Ukrainians have participated in the operation over the past two and a half years, and 266,000 of them have been recognized as combatants, he said.

More than 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been decorated with state awards, including 33 servicemen awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, Poroshenko said.

This year alone over 57,000 Ukrainian volunteers joined the army on contract, and about 10,000 women are serving in combat units of the Ukrainian army, he said. Discharged servicemen have been assigned to the immediate reserve forces, which currently comprise almost 100,000 servicemen, he said.

*************************

Militants in Donbas have shelled Ukrainian military positions 25 times in the past 24 hours, the press center of the Ukrainian army's headquarters said on its Facebook account on Friday morning.

Fourteen shelling instances were recorded near the city of Mariupol, where militants fired machineguns, grenade launchers and small arms near Talakivka, Maryinka and Bohdanivka, and 120mm mortars and 122mm cannon artillery were used against positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Shyrokyne and Vodiane, the press center said.

Militants shelled Ukrainian army positions in Luhansk region ten times. The Ukrainian military also recorded armed provocations near Novooleksandrivka and Stanytsia Luhanska, where small arms and grenade launchers were used and snipers operated. Ukrainian positions in Novozvanivka came under 152mm cannon artillery fire.

One strike was recorded in Donetsk region, where militants used machineguns, grenade launchers and small arms, as well as 82mm and 120mm mortars in Avdiyivka.

************************

In all, ten provocations were staged in the Luhansk sector, including one by use of heavy weapons, he said.

The hostiles once breached the truce in the Donetsk sector - mortars were fired on the Avdiyivka industrial zone, the ministry spokesman said.

Heavy weapons were fired on the Vodiane-Shyrokyne area in the Mariupol sector, Lysenko said, noting that more than 200 mortar mines were fired on Ukrainian army positions. Light weapons were used in Maryinka, Bohdanivka and Talakivka, he said.

In all, 14 violations of the truce were observed in the Mariupol sector, and five of them engaged heavy weapons, Lysenko said.

***********************

A woman has died in government-controlled Krasnohorivka in Donetsk region on October 7, apparently after being run over by a tracked military vehicle, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) reported.

"The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties. On 11 October, at the morgue of the district hospital in government-controlled Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk), the SMM saw the remains of a woman (about 40 years old) reportedly killed in the village. According to the doctor the victim died due to injuries sustained when a tracked military vehicle ran her over," the OSCE SMM said in a report as of October 12 afternoon.

A relative of the deceased said that the incident had occurred on the night of October 7, while she, her son and the victim had dispersed after hearing the movement of tanks and other heavy vehicles as they were walking home, the OSCE SMM said.

*************

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/crime/informer-of-russian-intelligence-detained-in-conflict-zone-786466.html

Man, apparently local, was recruited last August, SBU says

The counterintelligence office of Ukraine SBU security service has detained a man in Yasynuvata, Donetsk region, who was allegedly working for Russia's intel. This is according to the official website of the SBU.

The suspect was recruited last August by his associates, members of a Donetsk militant group.

During the next two months he was informing his curators about the dispositions of Ukrainian soldiers in the area near the contact line.

SBU claims, he also assisted militant artillery operators in targeting the government forces.

If found guilty, the detained could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

**************************
http://uatoday.tv/news/two-ukraine-soldiers-killed-in-luhansk-warzone-on-defender-day-786501.html

A civilian was wounded, local authorities say

While Ukraine was celebrating its Day of Defender on October 14, two Ukrainian soldiers died in the conflict zone in the Luhansk region.

They were killed in an area near Popasna village by the artillery fire, launched by the Russian-backed separatist forces, also wounding a local resident in his own house.

‘We are paying a very high price for the peace to come back to Ukraine', Luhansk region governor Yuriy Harbuz said.

According to the local authorities, the militants violated the ceasefire in the region 18 times in the past 24 hours. They used 152-mm and 120-mm mortars as well as assault rifles.

***************************
http://uatoday.tv/news/soldiers-get-new-weapons-as-contract-army-announced-in-ukraine-786536.html
Kyiv promises, only contract soldiers will be deployed in conflict zone soon

Ukrainian army has received more than 150 military vehicles and weapons including upgraded tanks T-64 and T-80 as well as artillery systems and trucks.

In addition, the armed forces have got several modernized helicopters Mi-24, equipped with Ukraine-manufactured engines, transport helicopters Mi-8 and fighter jets MiG-29, SU-25, SU-27 and a transport plane An-26.

A welcome replacement for the aircraft lost in fighting with the Russian-backed separatist forces in Donbas.

President Poroshenko, who was present at the ceremony in Kharkiv, said that Ukrainian armed forces have become one of the experienced and efficient armies in the world.

‘We are seeing changes not only in the commandment of the army, but in every division too, and it's simply impossible not to notice the changes, even though sometimes they don't happen as fast as we'd like', Poroshenko said.

Vowing to bring Ukrainian armed forces up to speed with NATO standards, the President announced a new era for all soldiers.

‘Over the last 15 years many politicians promised to switch to a contract army, but I emphasize, Ukrainian armed forces will become contract, volunteer since the end of October', Poroshenko stressed, adding, that the 6th mobilization wave was the last.

Ukraine used to rely on conscript soldiers in the past, but as of late was switching towards the contract. As the country's Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said, more than 57 thousand people signed an agreement with the armed forces in the first 9 months of 2016.

Around 5-7 thousand people join the ranks of the army every month.

Poltorak promised, after the 6th wave is demobilized, only contract soldiers will be deployed in the conflict zone.

After the ceremony ended, Poroshenko went to the conflict zone to meet with the soldiers, who soon will be demobilized.

********************

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/376785.html

Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded and one suffered concussion in Donbas in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in the last 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry speaker for ATO issues Andriy Lysenko has said.

"In the past 24 hours No Ukrainian soldiers were killed, but three were wounded and one suffered concussion in the ATO zone," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Saturday.

Two soldiers were wounded in the Mariupol section (Shyrokyne and Vodiane) and one in the Donetsk section (Zaitseve). One soldier suffered concussion due to an enemy's attack near Vodiane.

Information of Luhansk regional military and civil administration that allegedly two soldiers were killed after enemy's attacks is untrue, he said.

"We have information that two soldiers were killed, but not due to hostilities, during a home conflict," he said, adding that authorized agencies are studying the incident.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/crime/mariupol-sector-remains-a-hotspot-on-donbas-conflict-zone-map-786856.html

43 cases of ceasefire break reported in the ATO zone


Ukrainian army positions have been attacked 43 times overnight, according to Ukraine's ATO press center.

19 cases of shelling have been recorded in the Luhansk direction. In particular, Russian-backed separatist forces used 152mm and 122mm caliber artillery in the area of Novozvanivka. Mortars were applied against Stanytsia Luhanska and Novooleksandrivka.

The Mariupol sector has suffered 18 attacks for the past 24 hours. The cities of Maryinka, Shyrokyne and Krasnogorivka were hotspots for militant shelling. Mortars, armored fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and machine guns were used in that direction.

In the Donetsk sector, Ukrainian Armed Forces have been fired 6 times. Grenade launchers and small arms shelling into Ukrainian soldiers in Troitske and Avdiivka were noted.

***********************

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/crime/russian-warlord-killed-in-donetsk-both-sides-confirm-787116.html

Arseny ‘Motorola' Pavlov is infamous for declaring he personally killed 15 unarmed hostages


Russian officers and their local collaborators are still dying in militant-held territory of Donbas during the ceasefire. This time the most notorious warlord, the head of ‘Sparta' militant battalion died in explosion in Donetsk elevator along with his personal guard, numerous sources say.

A Russian citizen, Pavlov was born in Ukhta, Komi Autonomous Republic of Russian Federation. He lived in Rostov-on-Don and spent some time in the Russian army, taking part in Second Chechen war.

On March 16, 2014, he was seen being a part of ‘local Russian-speaking population protests' in Kharkiv, Ukraine, calling for Russia's intervention. He was caught on camera in video footage of the events by the city's internet news publisher. Also during militant's parades in Donetsk he was seen wearing the medal for ‘the returning the Crimea', which means he was part of Russian occupation force in the peninsula.

Later 'Motorola' became the leader of the ‘Sparta' Battalion, a pro-Russian armed group fighting in the war in Donbass against the Ukrainian government forces and declaring the region to be "Russian land".

Pavlov with his battalion took part in the Battle of Donetsk Airport and the Battle of Ilovaysk. Ukraine placed him on its wanted list for the ‘creation of illegal paramilitary and military formations', and the European Union added him to its list of sanctioned individuals.

In April 2015, Kyiv Post released a recording in which Pavlov discussed killing fifteen Ukrainian prisoners of war. He has been linked to other war crimes, namely the execution of captured hostages, like Ukrainian soldier Ihor Branovytsky, which had been captured near Donetsk and killed by Pavlov on January 21, 2015 with two headshots.

According to current information, Arseny Pavlov was killed on October 16, 2016 in an explosion of a building elevator So-called ‘Prime Minister' of Russian puppet state ‘Donetsk People's Republic' Alexander Zakharchenko declared the killing ‘a violation of the ceasefire' in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and ‘a declaration of war' by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko himself. Ukrainian sources in Security Service and Interior Ministry approved the information, but connected with internal purges inside occupational administration of Donbas.

********************

http://uatoday.tv/politics/militants-launch-offensive-on-ukraine-s-army-positions-787236.html
Fighting sparked in Avdiyivka early on Monday


UPDATE: There are no offensive actions by Russian-backed militants near Avdiyivka, according to a press secretary of the 81st Brigade Kostyantyn Tatarkin, UNIAN reports.

"There were shellings. There is no active offensive. The situation remains tolerable," he said. "This morning, we were fired upon, but not from heavy weapons. It was SPG grenade machine guns and small arms," said Tatarkin.

At 07:00 on Monday, a battle began in the town of Avdiyivka, Chaplain of the Christian rescue service Volodymyr (Shved) told UNIAN.

The chaplain serves in the unit of civil-military cooperation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), which is based in Avdiyivka.

"Shooting comes from the town of Yasynuvata. They're even firing from tanks. The shelling continued for the second straight night. Most probably, today's fighting is an attempt to storm the AFU positions," he said.

According to Volodymyr Shved, it is the older part of Avdiyivka that is being shelled.

"The most surprising thing is that, despite the attacks, people are still trying to get to work in short runs," Shved said.

For a long time, the government-controlled town of Avdiyivka was the hottest point of fighting in eastern Ukraine's conflict zone. Over the past week, the combined Russian-separatist forces have shifted their 'focus' to the areas surrounding the port city of Mariupol.

**************************


Incident happened in the government-controlled area of Luhansk region


One Ukrainian serviceman died and three more were wounded when a military vehicle hit a mine in Popasna district of a government-controlled part of Luhansk region.

The servicemen suffered injuries of various degrees of severity, and are currently hospitalized, according to local officials.

Combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in the Luhansk region 29 times in the past day.

The militants fired 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, machine guns and small arms.



*******************

One dead and seven more wounded in the Ukrainian Armed Forces overnight


The past day in Ukraine's ATO zone has brought a loss: one Ukrainian soldier died with 7 more wounded.

The ATO press service reports an intensification in militant fire around Donbas. Russian-backed separatists have performed 61 attacks overnight using mortars and cannons along the whole front.

29 cases of the truce being broken were recorded in the Luhansk zone, as has appeared to be consistently the case in the townships of Novooleksandrivka, Krymske, Bohuslavske, Novozvanivka and Popasna. Militants fired mortars, grenade launchers and small arms in this sector.

23 provocations have happened as well in the Mariupol area with the separatists firing 152 and 122 caliber artillery.

9 cases of shelling have taken place in the Donetsk areas with the very same type of weapons.

***************
http://uatoday.tv/politics/drones-s...nry-in-donbas-aerial-photos-video-787591.html
Russian weapons continue to flow across Ukrainian border, despite lame denials from the Kremlin

Volunteer aerial reconnaissance team handed over to InformNapalm community new images of a large build-up of weapons and equipment amassed by the Russian occupation forces in Donbas. InformNapalm OSINT investigators analyzed the images and identified all pieces of the weaponry and equipment.

UAVs photographed a reinforced battalion tactical group of the Russian occupation forces. Several models of the spotted military equipment clearly point to their Russian origin, InformNapalm reports.

The photo demonstrates 20 T-64BV and T-72B main battle tanks (MBTs) of earlier modifications (essential armament is a 125 mm canon), 25 BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), 4 2S1 Gvozdika 122mm self-propelled howitzers (essential armament is a 122 mm canon), 5 BTR-80 armored personnel carriers (APCs), one 9K35 Strela-10 surface-to-air missile system (SAM) mounted on an armored vehicle and other types of equipment.

Another image also shows Russian truck mounted wound dressing room (AP-2) that earlier appeared in OSINT investigation of InformNapalm when it was spotted 3 km from the industrial zone of Avdiivka in August 2016. However, the biggest surprise came when we saw two UR-77 Meteorite mine clearing vehicles that remain exclusively in service of the Russian Army. Besides mine clearing, UR-77 is also used to defeat manpower in the fortified building ruins.

This additional use of the equipment was documented in the Second Chechen campaign and during the assault of Donetsk Airport by Russian forces in Donbas. UR-77 were also used during the assaults of fortified positions in Jobar District of Damascus (Syria).

17 October 2016
One Ukrainian serviceman killed, 3 injured in Popasna district
One Ukrainian serviceman killed, 7 injured in Donbas in past 24 hours

***************

October 17, 2016 12:39
DPR announces three days' mourning for militiaman Motorola
DONETSK. Oct 17 (Interfax) - The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) has announced three days' mourning for militia commander Arseny Pavlov, a.k.a. Motorola.

"The head of the Donetsk People's Republic has issued an order [...] declaring three days' mourning (from October 17 till October 19) for DPR hero, Col. Arseny Pavlov," the press service of the administration of DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko told the press.

Zakharchenko said earlier that Pavlov was killed in an elevator explosion on his way home.

***********

10:46
Ukrainian army again attacks DPR positions near Leninske, suffers casualties - Donetsk

 

[Broccoli]

Motorola was most likely killed by the Russians because he wasn't useful anymore. Soon more of these "battalion commanders" are going to bite the bullet.

 

[Aero]

Motorola was most likely killed by the Russians because he wasn't useful anymore. Soon more of these "battalion commanders" are going to bite the bullet.

Hot heads are getting down, They served their purpose & not needed anymore.
https://informnapalm.org/en/from-orphan-home-to-airborne-to-donbas-gnome-has-made-it/
https://informnapalm.org/en/concentration-russian-weaponry-donbas-aerial/

 

[flamer84]

Coming to the Ukraine war thread one can take solace in the fact that the combatants at least don't eat each other or random pets alive unlike the ME war threads...

 

[xenon54 out]

Coming to the Ukraine war thread one can take solace in the fact that the combatants at least don't eat each other or random pets alive unlike the ME war threads...

Well ok, firstly yeah ME is fucked up no doubt about it but we need to be fair here, in WWI and II much worse things happened espacially the sadistic human experiments in concentration camps of Nazi which is the most famous exsample.

People go mad once the misery of war reaches a unbearable point this is no different in any part of the world and no race is immune against it.

Cannibalism, beheading etc. are digusting and shocking, even more when a show is made of it but is making chairs with jewish bones or night lamps with human skin any better?

The extent of war with isis in Syria and Iraq is no where near comparable to Ukrainian civil war.

 

[flamer84]

Well ok, firstly yeah ME is fucked up no doubt about it but we need to be fair here, in WWI and II much worse things happened espacially the sadistic human experiments in concentration camps of Nazi which is the most famous exsample.

People go mad once the misery of war reaches a unbearable point this is no different in any part of the world and no race is immune against it.

Cannibalism, beheading etc. are digusting and shocking, even more when a show is made of it but is making chairs with jewish bones or night lamps with human skin any better?

The extent of war with isis in Syria and Iraq is no where near comparable to Ukrainian civil war.

Tragic events like WW2 exist so we can take lessons in our days.It's not like in Ukraine they don't hate each other with a passion,as you can see,prisoners of war are executed but there's a limit.The ME doesn't have that.

 

[xenon54 out]

Tragic events like WW2 exist so we can take lessons in our days.It's not like in Ukraine they don't hate each other with a passion,as you can see,prisoners of war are executed but there's a limit.The ME doesn't have that.

As said those limits get lifted after a certain point is reached like a mass traumatization of a whole socieity which sees a shattered skull on daily basis, its wasnt different in WWII if anything then much worse, Ukraine is simply not that bad thank god.

Sure lessons should be taken but can you say the same wont happens once a war to the extent of WWII happens again in Europe? Im sure as hell it wont be any better than before and those lessons that has been taken are the first one that gets forgotten.

The result of war in ME will have after effects for decades but it doesnt even look like as if it was gonna stop anytime soon in the first place.