Situation in the ATO zone
Yesterday Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the laws “On special procedure of local self-governing in some districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions» and «On prevention of prosecution and punishment of persons – participants of events in the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions».
The laws were adopted while implementing the Peace Plan of the President of Ukraine and complying with the Minsk Minutes of Trilateral contact group. These laws are a practical step of Ukrainian authorities towards establishment of peace and renewal of citizens’ security in the territories of the East of Ukraine.
For the sake of peacemaking subdivisions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and special forces are maintaining ceasefire mode, implementing the Peace Plan of the President of Ukraine.
At the same time attacks of ATO forces positions with fire on the side of illegal armed groupings and Russian troops continue. For instance, within 12 hours positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donetsk region nearby Nyzhnya Krynka, Pisky, Donetsk airport, Ridkodub, Hranitne, Kuraohove, Novoorlivka, Debaltseve, Shumy populated localities came under fires. In Luhansk region terrorists outshot positions of Ukrainian troops in Popasna, Stanytsya Luhanska, Novoselivka, Tsentralnyi, Mius, Chornukhine populated localities.
There were no losses among Ukrainian troops.
In their regular report OSCE Special monitoring mission recorded numerous violations of ceasefire mode on the side of terrorists. They laid special emphasis on militants attacking the Ukrainian checkpoint by fire nearby Maloorlivka populated locality, next to which members of OSCE monitoring group stayed. It is not improbable that militants engaged fire on Ukrainian troops in order to provoke them, as they were informed of the OSCE observers’ trip in advance.
According to the intelligence data collected, movement of Russian troops and militants nearby Fashchivka, Krasnyi Luch populated localities in Luhansk region and Debaltseve in Donetsk region. Terrorists continue masking military equipment in residential quarters and in non-combatants’ yards in the territories controlled by militants.
ATO forces are prepared to provocations and attack repulse. For instance, yesterday terrorists attacked and outshot ATO forces positions several times from Fashchivka populated locality in Luhansk region towards Debaltseve populated locality in Donetsk region and from the border of Kirovske town in Donetsk region towards Yunokomunarivska in Donetsk region.
Counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine detained a chief of a subversive group “Donetsk Peoples’ Republic”, a former traffic police officer, who was committing acts of terrorism in Donetsk region together with his accomplices.
The group received tasks and detailed instructions on committing acts of terrorism directly from I. Girkin, to whom they were personally reporting on the crimes committed.
The gang was committing armed assaults of convoys of Ukrainian equipment, ATO checkpoints, explosive demolition of bridges, subversive acts in peaceful quarters of the cities.
At present urgent investigative actions continue.
Air reconnaissance using pilotless aircrafts continues on the side of the Russian Federation. During 24 hours five cases of this kind at heights from 1 to 2 km were recorded. Pilotless aircrafts were observed twice nearby Mariupol and three times on the administrative border with temporarily occupied Crimea.
During 24 hours border guards of “Krasna Talivka” detachment in Luhansk region recorded three facts of blast of mines, installed by Russian raiders. In one case inhabitant of one of the border villages tripped a mine and died. The blast circumstances in two cases more are being investigated. In is the evidence of “mine” war activation in that area and renewal of attempts on the side of Russian mercenaries to outflank the border guards from the border line. Terrorists are not conscious about the fact that non-combatants are dying during such war.
We call upon local inhabitants of areas bordering with Russia and areas adjacent to the ATO zone to be careful and to refrain from mushrooming, when possible.
Situation in populated localities of the ATO zone
Several residential buildings were ruined with artillery shelling in Nyzhnya Krynka, Khazhenkove, Verkhnya Krynka, Spartak villages and Yasynuvata town. Power line nearby Makiyivka filtering station was damaged, as a result of which the station is cut off and there is no drinking water supply in Makiyivka.
Terrorists continue artillery shelling of Pervomaysk in Luhansk region. There are no casualties. Town inhabitants still have no electricity supply or communication connection. Water is delivered according to the schedule, several times a day. There is shortage of medicine and foodstuffs in the town.
It was only yesterday that we received confirmation of the information that the mayor of Lysychansk who was kidnapped on September 13, was alive and detained by terrorists.
Work of almost whole banking system was stopped in Donetsk, Makiyivka, Shakhtarsk, Snizhne, Luhansk and other cities temporarily controlled by terrorists. In particular, only Oshchadbank ATMs are functioning in Donetsk, servicing only their own credit cards. Money transfer system is out of service in all branches of Kyiv district on Donetsk
Besides, number of branches accepting utility fees and making money transfers is limited.
“Ukrposhta” is planning to resume work of 11 post offices in Donetsk and 4 post offices in Makiyivka starting from today. At the same time it is emphasized that only registered postal items to Donetsk and Makiyivka will be accepted, without home delivery, i.e. to a post office only.
Electricity supply to “Ukrtelekom” equipment was resumed, which allowed to launch communication lines in testing mode.
Response of international community to the events in Ukraine
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine made an announcement in which they expressed their concern with the statement of the minister of defence of the Russian Federation S. Shoygu on opening “full-fledged and self-sufficient military alignment in Crimean direction”. Russian Federation continues growing military presence in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, creating an assault military grouping with unclear tasks. The Ministry Foreign Affairs of Ukraine treats Shoygu’s statement as the one destabilizing situation in the whole of the Black Sea region. We call upon the Russian Federation to stop provocative actions threatening sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as peace in the region.
Representative of the Department of State Marie Harf stated that Washington took a favourable view of the Law on special status of Donbas and the Law on amnesty for participants of actions in the east, adopted by Verkhovna Rada. «The door to the peace has been opened and now everything depends on the will of Russia and separatists supported by Russia to respect agreements on ceasefire and respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state. These new laws underline disposition of the Ukrainian government to peaceful settlement of the conflict in the east of Ukraine. Making this step, Ukraine confirmed its attachment of the Minsk commitments, and Moscow is to do the same now», – emphasized Marie Harf.
Germany expressed their readiness to send pilotless aircrafts to Ukraine to cover the needs of OSCE Monitoring mission and observe ceasefire mode in the east of our state, as envisaged by the Minsk Munites.
On September 16 Canada introduced new economic sanctions directed against the Russian Federation. The government of Canada included state Russian bank “Sberbank Rossiyi” into the sanctions list as well as 5 enterprises producing military manufactures.
Canada also extended the list of people falling under the prohibition of entry and seizure of assets. Russian officers Dmytro Bulgakov, Yuriy Sadovenko, Mykola Bogdanovskyi, Oleg Salyukov were included into the list.
