Fighting involving tanks, mortars, grenades and small arms continued in and around the village of Shyrokyne, Donetsk Oblast, on April 23, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) reported on Friday.
“Fighting continued in and around the village of Shyrokyne. From an observation point outside the village, the SMM heard outgoing tank fire, mortars and incoming grenades, as well as a small arms fire exchange coming from the village. An SMM team in the village heard small arms and grenade launcher fire originating from the area,” the SMM said in its report as of 7.30 p.m. of April 23.
The SMM observed artillery rounds striking the area in or around government-controlled Lebedynske (6 km west of Shyrokyne, 15 km east of Mariupol) with black smoke seen rising above the village.
Two mortar rounds impacted within 100 meters of an SMM position at an observation post in government-controlled Berdiansk (1.5km west of Shyrokyne, 20km east of Mariupol), the mission said. The SMM left the area and moved to another position.
As the SMM was leaving Shyrokyne on the highway north of the village, driving west, a car carrying members of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) tailed the SMM convoy, and using the SMM as cover, drove off towards the east, the mission said.
“The incidents were condemned by the SMM Deputy Chief Monitor on social media,” the report reads.
