Ukrainian gov't forces attack village near Lugansk for 3rd day in a row
3 July 2014, 11:11 -- Ukrainian government forces have been launching artillery attacks against the village of Metalist outside of Lugansk for the third day in a row. Shell explosions were heard every one or two minutes in the direction Metalist and the village of Luganska on Wednesday evening, Interfax correspondent reports.
The sounds of blasts suggested that large-caliber weapons were being used. Two powerful blasts were heard at around 9:30 pm local time.
Russia's Novoshakhtinsk checkpoint damaged after shelling on Ukrainian territory
Russia's Novoshakhtinsk checkpoint was damaged as result of a shelling by Ukrainian forces, Vasily Malayev, representative of the border guard at the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in the Rostov area, said.
'Several missiles exploded near Russia's checkpoint Novoshakhtinsk as a result of a fire at the contiguous Ukrainian checkpoint,' Malayev said. He also said that the building of the checkpoint was damaged; however, nobody was injured, nor killed.
Ukrainian forces resume shelling of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region
Heavy artillery fire once again rocked Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, late on Wednesday, a representative from people's militia told Tass, adding that Ukraine law enforcers were possibly using cluster ammunition, reports ITAR-TASS.
'Cluster ammunition is possibly used, one can hear powerful explosions followed by dozens of weaker booms,' he said, adding that the Stankostroy neighborhood was being targeted.
Besides, the settlement of Yasnogorka near Kramatorsk was left without gas supply after a high-pressure pipe had been damaged by a shell, he said.
According to early reports, Grad multiple rocket launcher systems were used in the shelling of Kramatorsk that continued throughout last night. 'Shells were literally 'poured' on the city. Powerful explosions were as frequent as when submachine guns are used,' the source said. After a lull, an active shelling of Kramatorsk resumed on June 30, at 22:30 local time exactly half an hour after the ceasefire between the Kiev regime and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics ended.
The centre of the city and a living quarter were pounded all night long overnight to Wednesday.
Yesterday, a civilian bus came under fire in Slavyansk leaving two people dead, Donbass People's Governor Pavel Gubarev said citing self-defense leader of the Donetsk People's Republic Igor Strelkov.
'The enemy's artillery is functioning non-stop. Slavyansk is under fire as well. A civilian bus came under fire near a bridge across Kazyonniy Torets. Two people died and three were injured,' Gubarev posted on Facebook on Wednesday, Interfax reports.
One serviceman died, four were seriously injured in a mortar fire attack on the Novoazovsk border post in the Donetsk region on the Russian-Ukrainian frontier at 2:00 am Kiev Time, according to border guards. 'The gunfire killed one serviceman and four others sustained injuries of various degrees,' the Ukrainian State Border Service said.
Ukrainian military forces have conducted a massive artillery fire overnight Wednesday at the Donetsk regional city Kramatorsk, according to reports by local militiamen.
'A strong gun battle had been waged at the city which was literally showered with shells. Powerful blasts were heard with a frequency like an automatic fire,' a representative of the people's militia said, adding that the gunfire had been waged presumably from Grad missile multiple fire launch systems.
Several residential houses caught fire in the shelling in the settlement of Krasnogorka near the city of Kramatorsk. Local residents and public buildings were destroyed, at present, no information about casualties or deaths are available.
'It is extremely dangerous to go out in the street and, moreover, drive in shelled districts,' the representative said.
The shelling started on Tuesday evening. The facade wall of the last floor at a nine-story residential house literally collapsed in the blast in Dnepropetrovskaya Street in Stankostroy district in the city of Kramatorsk.
Eyewitnesses add that Kramatorsk residents are fleeing the city. People lined up in queues to get on buses to leave the areas deemed combat zones.
A motorcade with refugees from Kramatorsk came under attack 20 kilometers from the Russian border. No one was injured, but one of the escort vehicles was damaged, the Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Vladimir region Gennady Prokhrychev told reports on July 2. The incident occurred the day before at about 11 pm Moscow time, Prokhorychev said.
According to him, two buses carried 84 refugees, six of whom were one-year-old children, to the Russian border.
These buses were accompanied by three cars with members of the local self-defense force that fight Ukrainian troops in the southeastern part of the country. The buses were only 300-400 meters when one of the escort vehicles was attacked by fire 20 kilometers from the border. So as not to risk the lives of women and children, the motorcade was forced to turn around.
Ukrainian military forces use bombs of American origin – representative of Lugansk People's Republic
Spokesman for the Lugansk People's Republic, Vladimir Inogorodsky said that Ukrainian troops used American-made shells during shelling on Lugansk. 'Buildings that were damaged by the bomb were on fire and specialists couldn't put it off for a long time, and at first they could not understand what was happening. When experts arrived to the place, they found out that the bombs they used, were of American origin', told Inogorodsky to RIA Novosti.
The press office of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) reported on Wednesday artillery fire in the village in Lugansk region and the deaths of ten civilians including a child. 'According to the information of militia, about ten civilians, including a girl aged five to six, died in the Lugansk village in artillery fire,' LPR press service head Vladimir Inogorodskikh said on Wednesday, Interfax reports.
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