Donetsk, Jan 19 – DAN. Situation along the contact line in the Donetsk People’s Republic has normalised, Kiev forces shelled DPR territory 71 times over the past 24 hours, DPR Command deputy commander Eduard Basurin said on Thursday.
“The situation in the Donetsk People’s Republic has normalized compared with the previous days. Ukrainian terrorists violated the ceasefire 71 times over the past 24 hours,” Basurin said.
“The enemy fired 18 120mm and 82mm mortar rounds and 36 grenade launcher rounds at DPR territory, and also used infantry fighting vehicle cannons and small arms,” he said.
Kiev forces continued to shell Gorlovka and Zaitsevo village in its outskirts, ruining two houses and partially damaging one.
In Kiev-controlled Novgorodskoye village in vicinity of Gorlovka (6 km from the contact line), DPR intelligence revealed the location of three Gvozdika 122mm howitzers and three T-64 tanks.
On the same axis, up to 300 enemy personnel arrived in Armtyomovsk area (20 km from the contact line).
Yasinovataya and nearby Krutaya Balka and Spartak villages came under Ukrainian forces fire again. Ukrainian army also shelled Donetsk airport area and Trudovskiye neighbourhood in Donetsk’s Petrovskiy district. According to DPR Command, Dokuchayevsk and Sakhanka village in DPR south were targeted, too.
Basurin said the Republic’s intelligence spotted the delivery of some 200 tons of munitions to storage sites in Kiev-controlled Donskoye village (24 km from the contact line).
“We make a connection between the normalisation of the situation with a decrease in Ukrainian forces strikes at DPR territory and the arrival of OSCE SMM Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug in Donetsk on 20 January. Ukrainian criminals are trying to whitewash themselves in the eyes of the public and the OSCE mission,” Basurin said.
On Wednesday, the Republic’ Command said Ukrainian army had shelled DPR 682 times with artillery and grenade launchers. *jk