Interfax: Donbas conflict sides trade truce breach accusations

LUHANSK/KYIV. Aug 11 (Interfax) – The Ukrainian armed forces have launched seven shelling attacks on the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in the past 24 hours, the LPR militia told Interfax.

“The Ukrainian armed forces have violated the truce seven times in the past 24 hours, using 120mm and 82mm mortars, infantry fighting vehicles, anti-tank grenade launchers, automatic grenade launchers, and small arms,” it said.

The LPR militia reported Ukrainian attacks on the vicinity of Zholobok, Pryshyb, Slovianoserbsk, Frunze, Lohvynove, and Kalynove.

“There has been neither damage to buildings nor civilian or military casualties,” the militia said.

The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has recorded 33 shelling attacks by the Ukrainian army in the past 24 hours.

“The Ukrainian armed forces violated the truce 33 times in the past 24 hours. They shelled districts of 15 populated localities of the republic, using mortars, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, grenade launchers, and small arms against them,” a DPR operational command spokesman told reporters on Friday.

Four houses in Donetsk’s Petrovskyi district were damaged in some of these strikes, he said.

“A civilian, Alexander Andreyevich Yankovsky, born in 1951, hit a Ukrainian trip wire in the town of Dokuchayevsk. Further information is being verified,” the spokesman said.

Kyiv, for its part, accused militia forces of committing 15 truce breaches over the past 24 hours.

“One of our servicemen was wounded as a result of shelling,” the press service of the headquarters of Kyiv’s military operation in south-eastern Ukraine said.

One Ukrainian serviceman was killed after hitting an unknown explosive device near the village of Pisky, it said.

In the Luhansk sector, large-caliber machineguns were twice used against Ukrainian fortifications near Stanytsia Luhanska. Anti-aircraft guns were fired in the vicinity of the village of Schastya, the headquarters said.

Mortars and grenade launchers were used against Ukrainian positions near Krymske.

In the Mariupol sector, Ukrainian positions in Talakivka and Vodyane came under grenade launcher fire, the headquarters said.