Russia-backed separatists have fired 66 times at the positions of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) units, killing two Ukrainian soldiers and wounding four more, the press center for the JFO’s headquarters has said.
“Russian-led forces, disregarding international agreements, violated the ceasefire 66 times. Mortars, artillery and BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket systems were used 25 times. At around 9:00 p.m., separatists used BM-21 Grad systems on the positions of our troops near Avdiyivka. The Joint Forces units gave a proper response to Russia-backed separatists and actively defended,” reads a report posted on the Facebook page of the JFO on May 17.
In the Luhansk sector, fighting continued near Novozvanivka and Troitske. Effective counter-sniper measures were taken in response to the use of sniper rifles by separatists.
In the Donetsk sector, Russia-led separatists were active near Luhanske, Svitlodarsk, Novoluhanske, and Mayorske. The fighting continues near the Avdiyivka industrial zone and the village of Opytne. In the Mariupol sector, separatists were active near Vodyane, Lebedynske, and Shyrokene.
“During the fighting yesterday, two of our militaries were killed, and four were wounded. The wounded were promptly evacuated to a hospital where they received qualified medical assistance and nothing threatens their lives,” the report says.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia-backed separatists sustained significant losses over the past 24 hours as five people were killed and eight wounded.
