OSCE Confirms The Donbass Crisis

Starting from 6PM, until midnight, local time, the so called “separatists”, supported by the Russians, shelled the Ukrainian forces 46 times. 120 mm mortars were used 3 times in the Donetsk region, near the town of Pisky; the mortars were also used twice in Avdiivka. The former location also became a theatre for a direct contact between the “militia” and the Ukrainian units gathered in the area. What is more, Avdiivka  region was also shelled with 120 mm artillery twice. Shelling was also directed at the town of Shyrokine – 13 times – and this attack also involved tanks. Towns of Zaytseve and Opytne were attacked with 82 mm mortar fire.

In the Luhansk area the Ukrainian soldiers were shot at, near the town of Schastya, five times – out of which, 3 times AAA was involved, and the two additional attacks involved grenade launchers. On 10 PM shots fired from a  ZU-23-2 system hit an urbanized area inhabited by the civilians. No information on dead or wounded was released. The Ukrainian soldiers were also attacked near the village of Sokolniky, also with the Grenade Launchers.

The town of Troitske is being attacked, starting from Saturday, 25^th April, almost constantly (Donetsk area). Similar situation is present in case of Krymskie and Luhansk itself. Here the attacks are based mostly on machine gun fire. In case of the latter location, at the bridge over the river Donets, a direct battle took place, between the Ukrainians and the militia. No information regarding the wounded or the missing was released.

Both districts are a subject to an intensified UAV reconnaissance. In the period between 9PM and 10 PM 11 fly-pasts of the UAV’s belonging to the militia were reported.

The information above is being confirmed by the OSCE. The events that took place last weekend, near Shyrokine, have been defined as “the most intensive shelling” in the region, starting from mid-February this year. The report was issued by the  OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission. The official press release claimed that on 26^th April, the OSCE representatives in the region, who stayed at two points – first one located 1.5 km west from the town, and second one 4.5 km in the south-west direction – detected:

- 69 tank shots

- 191 82 mm mortar shots

- 153 120 mm mortar shots

- 2 122mm artillery shots – the rounds fell 300 m from the location where the OSCE observers stayed, which forced them to shift it.

All of the shots were fired from the areas controlled by the so called “people’s republics”. The UAV’s were used by the observers as well. Thanks to them presence of 11 tanks and 4 APC’s was noted in the area controlled by the separatists – in the Kulykove region. In total, throughout the last couple of days, the OSCE observers detected 17 tanks, 3 self-propelled howitzers and 60 armoured carriers.