National Security and Defense Council:At least one civilian was killed as a result of Russian militant attack at Kodema village near Donetsk

Friday, July 17, 2015 - 07:59 (EEST) Section: Maps, NSDC

Kyiv, July 16, 2015. Ceasefire was generally holding in the Luhansk sector. Ukrainian troops have registered only two brief armed provocations of Russia-backed fighters near Krymske and Novotoshkivske. Ukrainian Armed Forces did not incur any lethal casualties over the last day.

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In the Donetsk sector, militants started massive shelling of the positions of the Ukrainian forces to the north and west of Horlivka. The fire exchange lasted about 2 hours: the enemy fired from at least five spots and used an array of weapons, ranging from small arms to tanks and artillery. Furthermore, at least one civilian was killed as a result of militant attack at Kodema village.

In addition, Novgorodsky and Verkhnotoretsky came under militant’s mortar attacks. The situation around the Donetsk airport worsened as well: militants are trying to force the Ukrainian military out of their positions in Pisky and Opytne. We have traced enemy artillery, from which militants fired toward Avdiivka. Ukrainian troops did not register any cases of heavy arms use near Maryinka and Krasnohorivka, as well as south of Donetsk.

In the Mariupol sector, tensions resumed. Russia-backed militants conducted a series of powerful artillery attacks on the Ukrainian military positions near Starohnativka, while in the evening they have also used tanks. Unrest was also in Shyrokyne, but these provocations were rather isolated.

Eleven Ukrainian serviceme were wounded in action in the last 24 hours.

Ukrainian border guards spotted seven flights of militant UAVs yesterday.

Ukraine’s Security Service in Kharkiv detained a “DPR” militant when he laid the explosives at the KharkIv-Passenger railway station. The detainee was planning to blow up a rail switcher using 2.5 kilograms of TNT.

Ukrainian police force in the Donetsk region detained a militant who was carrying an explosive. It was designated for a subversive act in Kharkiv. An impressive arsenal was taken away from the detainee: 50 kilograms of explosives, a grenade launcher, a machine gun, a pistol, grenades and ammunition.