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Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry warned UN Secretary General and foreign partners about the threat of a humanitarian crisis in the country. In its address, Kyiv states that over the last few days ‘Russian hybrid forces have been carrying out massive attacks in the east of Ukraine and using artillery, tanks and Grad rocket systems, including those located in the residential areas of Donetsk.
The Ukrainian president cut short his official visit to Germany due to the current emergency in Avdiyivka, an industrial satellite town of Donetsk.
“United and decisive action should be undertaken to motivate the Russian side to be at the negotiating table and fully implement the Minsk Agreements, and first of all, their security component. If they fail to fulfil the obligations, we consider it necessary to keep, and, if required, toughen the sanction pressure on the Russian Federation,” Petro Poroshenko said.
Damages caused by shelling can be seen on the both sides of the front of an undeclared war.
At the Zasyadko mine near Donetsk, a rescue operation took place on Tuesday morning. Within a few hours, the rescuers helped miners to get out to the light of the day. As a result of shelling, Ukraine-controlled Avdiyivvka and the separatist-controlled mine got cut off from power.
The sides accused each other of violating the Minsk Agreements.
However, some of Donetsk separatists criticized the command for the use of artillery from areas adjacent to civilian objects. For example, Alexander Khodakovsky, a former commander of East brigade, called on his associates not to shell Avdiyivka from residential quarters.
“Some people liked to get to the Auchan store and fire some volleys in the direction of the enemy without due reflection. They were reckless not thinking that there might be a harsh response which would affect many people. Others were firing from the premises of Zasyadko mine and ran away when Ukrainians started to fire back,” Khodakovsky said.
The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the forces of the so-called Donetsk republic had seized Avdiyivka, but, according to Belsat TV source reporting from the scene, the Ukrainian military did not lose positions either in the town or in the industrial area. The military even partially moved a few hundred meters forward – with respect to the demarcation line mentioned in the Minsk Agreements.
“They attacked us, and thanks to a counterattack, we entered their positions and took up the defense there,” Alexander Samara, a deputy commander of Ukraine’s 72nd Brigade, says.
On Tuesday, DPR militants reported that the commander of ‘Somali’ group Mikhail ‘Givi’ Tolstykh, who is known for torturing and killing Ukrainian prisoners, was wounded near Avdiyivka while his deputy was killed.
Yaraslau Stseshyk/MS, Belsat.eu
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