The situation in the Donetsk People’s Republic has dramatically deteriorated.
Last night, the Ukrainian side, in violation of all the agreements and commitments, seized objects of the Donetsk filtration plant (DFP), to conduct from its territory the provocative shelling on our positions. From this area, the enemy used mortars and heavy machine guns. At the same time, the fire was carried out from the plant premises not only on our positions, but also on residential areas of the localities Yasinovataya and Spartak. Knowing that our units observe the Minsk Agreements and do not open fire on objects of life support, the enemy feels its full impunity.
It was found that the DFP had been seized by the radical nationalist units of Ukraine, which, after yesterday's statement by the former commander of the regiment «Azov», A.Biletsky, have completely got out of control of the weak Ukrainian President, and are unleashing a new round of fighting in Donbass. It can be concluded that the Ukrainian authorities do not currently control the situation, and are unable to ensure the safety of the citizens of Ukraine.
In this regard, we urge the world leaders to strongly condemn Poroshenko’s regime and make the Ukrainian president bring order to his army, namely take the nationalist units out of the «ATO» area, thus completing written guarantees of March 15, 2016.
At the same time, we record the inactivity of the AFU command and its inability to change this situation, thus providing more opportunities for mayhem to radical nationalists. Since 2014, they have been acting to the detriment of the country's territorial integrity. In addition, at the moment, after a significant weakening of the authority of Poroshenko, there have sharply intensified contradictions between radical Ukrainian groups, each of which is eager for power.
Just over the past night, our intelligence recorded two clashes between Ukrainian units, in which there were killed over a dozen soldiers. In addition, there is a fact of undermining two AFU trucks by the Ukrainian nationalists near the locality of Avdeevka.
These actions are aimed exclusively at the worsening of the situation in the «ATO» area, which the radical nationalists continue to rock. All this is consequences of the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine sending nationalist battalions to the contact line, to avoid their involvement in riots in the city of Kiev. In response, the nationalists began to aggravate the situation, forcing the government forces to disrupt the Minsk Agreements.
At the same time, the enemy intensified the fire impact on the areas of localities in the Gorlovka, Donetsk and Mariupol directions, focusing their main efforts on Yasinovataya, Spartak and the outskirts of Donetsk.
Most likely, the increase in provocations is also due to the arrival in the DPR of Nadezhda Savchenko, an MP of the Verkhovnaya Rada of Ukraine. In contrast to the Ukrainian authorities, she is concerned about the fate of the Ukrainian POWs. We do not exclude that the Ukrainian military were given the command to disrupt the meeting of the MP with prisoners abandoned by the Kiev authorities.
In total, over the past day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled the territory of the Republic 2,161 times, having used heavy artillery 99 times, including 13 152mm shells, mortars of different calibers 627 times, including 337 120mm mortar shells, tanks 58 times, infantry fighting vehicles 62 times, and anti-aircraft systems, grenade launchers and small arms 1,315 times.
As a result of the AFU shelling on the positions of the DPR Armed Forces, there was wounded one soldier.
Our intelligence continues to reveal the enemy’s prohibited weapons bear the contact line.
- In Ocheretino (20 km away from the contact line), there were detected six 152mm motorized artillery systems «Akatsia» and four tanks;
- In Novobakhmutovka (10 km away from the contact line), there were detected three 122mm motorized artillery systems «Gvozdika».
We are grateful to the Ukrainian military who support us by providing accurate information about the placement of weapons and crimes of the radical nationalists against civilians of Donbass.
Our units are ready for any variant of the development of the situation.
No matter what, the training in the DPR People’s Militia units is in full swing. All the units have classes for action in various conditions.
Vice-Commander of the DPR Defense Ministry operative command Donetsk,Colonel Eduard Basurin