President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko held talks with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and representatives of the European Union yesterday in Minsk.
Three key issues were discussed during the meeting: peace and security in the region, closing up of the Ukrainian-Russian border to prevent traffic of equipment, ammunition and mercenaries, and the release of captives and hostages.
Summing up the meeting, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko stressed that Ukraine calls for decisive action that can bring peace to the Ukrainian land. According to the President, the parties agreed to revitalize the trilateral contact group.
Following the talks the consultations between the Chiefs of General Staff shall begin through the trilateral contact group to quickly shift to a bilateral ceasefire regime controlled by representatives of the OSCE Monitoring Mission.
The spokesman of the Information and analytical centre of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Lysenko reported this today at the daily briefing.
Military operations in the zone of conflict
Information regarding the situation in the southern districts of Novoazovsk-Mariupol area. After yesterday’s fighting Ukrainian security forces gained a foothold on the eastern boundary of village Bezimenne. Novoazovsk-Mariupol road is under our control. Mobile mixed groups of soldiers, policemen and guards set up posts on the most dangerous routes of the probable enemy movement in the area of Mariupol. The town of Novoazovsk is shelled both from the Russian territory and from the occupied positions on the Ukrainian territory. However, the town remains under the control of our forces.
Military units around Mariupol were strengthened by additional forces. Last night in this area arrived 1-st operational brigade of the National Guard equipped with the new military hardware, which made the march in the area ATO after events dedicated to the Independence Day. Military enhance fortification lines. Currently, the operational situation in the Mariupol calm and controlled. Transport and the enterprise operating normally.
North of Novoazovsk Russians and terrorists occupied the villages Markine, Kovske, Shcherbak, Klimkino, Sedovo-Vasylivka, Kuznetsy, Rosy Luxemburg. From the territory of Russia were made massive shellings of settlements Huselschykovo, Sedove, Obriv and Holodne. Artillery fire is corrected by drones of the Russian armed forces.
At this time, on the other areas it continues fighting in settlements Starobeshevo, Olenyvka, Mar’inka, Zhdanivka, Luhansk, Donetsk and Ilovaysk.
Defensive battles are continuing to hold settlements Novosvitlivka, Hryaschuvate. ATO forces units carried operative actions in settlements Rodakovo, Illyria and Malomykolayivka. Battlefield engagements are proceeding to keep under control Ilovaysk and also access roads and superior heights around it.
Yesterday, the terrorists attempted to attack the ATO forces checkpoint near the village of Adrianapil (Donetsk region). Attack was repulsed, it were captured eight militants and small arms.
As a result of Ukrainian artillery firing strikes on accumulation of terrorists nearby towns Gorlivka and Ilovaysk, it were destroyed three tanks, one armored combat vehicle, two “Grad” systems, four mortars, one car and one “Smerch” system (multiple launching system, caliber 300 mm, equipped by prohibited cluster ammunition, about the use of which we have repeatedly reported). Also it were destroyed about two hundred terrorists. In response to the attack on our position near the settlement of Krasny Yar artillery fire destroyed one detachment together with mortar.
During the day ATO forces entered into fire contact 34 times with terrorists by settlements Novosvitlivka, Novoazovsk, Krasny Yar, Stanichno Luhansk, Verhunskyy Razyizd, Maryanka, Andrianopsl, Styla, Makarovo, Komisarivka, Shyroke, Avdeyevka, Heorhiyivka, Fedorivka and airfields Lugansk and Donetsk.
Donetsk action-gangsters together with Russian invaders occupied the village Starobeshevo (Donetsk region). The local hospital was defeated. The wounded, who were in the hospital, were pre-evacuated to Mariupol and Berdyansk.
According to available data, on the outskirts of the settlement Pobeda it was deployed headquarter of battalion tactical group of the Russian Federation. In Amvrosiyivka came in 5 armored personnel vehicles and 1 “Kamaz” with manpower. If this task force also lost and accidentally went into the territory of Ukraine, as well as paratroopers of 98th Airborne Division, we can recall that they can come back in Russia just holding right direction to the East.
Attacks are continuing on Ukrainian territory from Russia. Thus, in addition to Novoazovsk yesterday it was conducted shelling from the Russian Federation of State border guard roadblocks and the Armed Forces by settlements Kolesnykivka and Yuhanivka.
The situation elsewhere on the border remains tense. Yesterday at 10:20 nearby Kochkarske (Donetsk region) there was a battle between border officers and a group of terrorists. After reinforcements arriving militants retreated. It was held a combing of the area to identify the suspect persons.
Russia continues to increase its military presence in its borderlands. During the day the military equipment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation concentrated in the border with Ukraine regions, mainly in the Rostov region. At the same time, it is marked the reduction of military units in the border regions of Belgorod, Kursk, Voronezh and Bryansk.
Russian military held equipping positions nearby Djankoi and temporarily occupied the north of Crimea Peninsula. Among the local population it is spread information about possible military action.
Yesterday it was reported violations air areas of Ukraine Army by the Aviation Armed Forces of the Russian Federation by town Chervony Chaban (Kherson region) where it was found flight in up to 500 m from the territory of the Crimea into mainland of Ukraine of 3 RF helicopters which conducted reconnaissance along the border and turned back.
Вчора було зафіксовано порушення повітряного простору України армійською авіацією Збройних сил Російської Федерації в районі н.п. Червоний Чабан Херсонської області, де було виявлено заліт до 500 м з території АРК на материкову частину України 3-х вертольотів РФ, які провели розвідку вздовж кордону та повернулись назад.
The situation in the conflict zone localities
According to current informationfrom the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) as of August 26, two offices of the Pension Fund work remotely: the main office in Donetsk region (in the building of the Mariupol office) and an office in Starobesheve.
All the other PFU offices in the Donetsk region work in normal mode, besides the cities of Gorlivka, Thorez, Khartsizk, Zhdanivka, Kirov and Yenakiyeve, as well as in Yasynuvata and its region, Shakhtarsk and its region.
The main office of PFU in the Luhansk region also operates remotely. PFU Offices in the cities of Krasny Luch and Anthracite and in Antratseet region operate in standby mode. All the other PFU offices in the Luhansk region work in normal mode besides the offices in Pervomaisk, Krasnodon and Krasnodon region,as well as in Leninski, Zhovtnevy, Artemivskiy and Kam’yanobrodske districts of Luhansk, which are temporarily out of service.
According to the available information of the State Emergency Service, currently the total number of citizens of Ukraine, displaced from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to other regions, is more than 17 thousand persons, including about 5 thousand children. The number of citizens displaced to other regions from the area of ATO is more than 115 thousand people, including about 40 thousand children.
Since July 6, 2014 – the date when the pyrotechnic units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine started their work – more than 16,000 items of ammunition and explosive devices been detected and seized in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Russian paratroopers (from the 331th regiment of the 98th Svirsky division of the Airborne Troops of the Russian Federation Armed Forces) were detained on August 25 in the village of Dzerkalne in Donetsk region. They have already been conveyed to one of detention centers in Kyiv.
