By increasing their shelling of civilian areas in Donbas, the separatist militants are trying to demoralize civilians, and discredit local administrations and the Ukrainian army, according to the leader of the Ukrainian section of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire (JCCC) Major-General Borys Kremenetsky.
“According to the leader of the Ukrainian envoys working in the JCCC Major-General Borys Kremenetsky, the separatists aim at demoralization and frightening the civilians, and discrediting the local administrations and the Armed Forces of Ukraine [by using shelling attacks],” the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) press centre reported on Facebook.
Illegal armed groups continue to shell and kill civilians and destroy state buildings, enterprises and social organizations which provide jobs for local residents and satisfy their social and cultural requirements, Kremenetsky added.
“Pro-Russian militarists intentionally shell residential districts, where [there’s] is no military unit [of Ukraine] of any kind. How many must be killed and how much [must be] destroyed to make international society understand the terroristic nature of these illegal armed groups?” Kremenetsky said.
According to the ATO press center, the situation along the contact line in Donetsk region remains exceptionally complicated and is escalating as the pro-Russian militarists openly use weapons of more than 100 mm to shell civilians and populated areas.
In the night of Aug. 17, artillery shelling of Sartana and Lebedyne near Mariupol killed three civilians, in Avdiyivka residential houses were destroyed, and power lines were damaged. Avdiyivka coke plant also came under artillery fire.
In the night of Aug. 16, one woman was killed during artillery shelling of Zaitseve.
