There has been a rise in militants' activities in the military-operation zone in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, according to the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).
“The situation in the eastern Ukraine is characterized by an increase of intensity and quantity of shellings,” NSDC spokesman Andriy Lysenko said at a briefing on Thursday, Oct. 30.
In particular, Grad rockets, artillery, tank guns and mortars were fired against Ukrainian positions on the northwestern perimeter of the outskirts of Donetsk and the Donetsk airport which is controlled by the Ukrainian army.
In the Donetsk region, militants shelled army positions near the towns of Slavne, Mayorske, Horlivka, Debaltseve, Berezove, Maloorlivka, Sanzharivka; and in the Luhansk region – near the towns of Krymske, Sokilnyky, Chornukhine, Zolote, Mius, Popasna, and Schastia.
Also, a Ukrainian army unit which provided cover for an army motorcade clashed with militias near the village of Petri vske, Volnovakha district, Donetsk region. “Three of our servicemen were killed and one injured during the fight,” the spokesperson said.
Yet another convoy engaged with militia on the right bank of the Siversky Donets river.
Militias have been most active in the south of the Donetsk region, Lysenko said.
In particular, two artillery attacks were registered near Talakivka outside Mariupol, a day earlier “They stopped afterwards, there was no shelling overnight. The situation in Mariupol is quiet,” the NSDC official said.
Meanwhile, the DPR prime minister, Alexander Zakharchenko, said earlier he did not rule out a military scenario in order to seize control over Mariupol.
