Ukraine and the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass have resumed shelling in recent days. International OSCE observers confirmed that many explosions were heard along the conflict line. At the same time, both sides accuse each other of violating the truce. Civilians from both sides were hit, shells flew into a kindergarten on Ukrainian territory. OSCE observers recorded from the evening of February 16 to 12.20 Moscow time on February 17, 500 explosions along the line of contact.
“After 11.20 [February 17] we registered about 30 explosions, that is, the tension seems to be decreasing,” the Organization added.
The head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Yashar Halit Cevik, asked the parties to the conflict to strictly adhere to their ceasefire commitments. “Immediate de-escalation is critical to avoid further escalation of the situation,” Cevik said.
The authorities of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) reported Thursday morning that the situation in the border zone had deteriorated significantly. The Ukrainian military shelled the region four times in a day. According to the LPR, they used 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and a heavy machine gun. The village of Zolotoy, the villages of Sokolniki, Veselenkoe and Nizhnee Lozovoye came under fire.
The people's militia of the LPR suggested that the aggravation of the situation in the Donbass is connected with the visit of the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky to the combat zone. “The ongoing aggravation of the situation is connected with Zelensky’s visit to the JFO zone (Joint Forces Operations -), after which the shelling of the territory of the republics began along the entire front line. Consequently, the President of Ukraine personally gave instructions for the escalation of the conflict,” the police said.
At the same time, the LNR warned that Ukraine was publishing stuffing that the forces of the republic were allegedly destroying civilian objects with their shelling. The police pointed out inconsistencies in such fakes. For example, in the photographs published by the Ukrainian side, serious destruction of the walls is visible, while the glass in the windows of the same buildings is completely intact. “Anyone who has ever seen damage to buildings from real shelling will say that these are staged photos,” the LPR military drew attention.
The authorities of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), in turn, reported on February 17 that Ukrainian forces shelled the village of Yelenovka, the village of Staromikhaylovka, the village of Signalnoe in the Donetsk direction, the villages of the mines named after Gagarin and Izotov in the Gorlovka direction, and the villages of Petrovskoye and Novolaspa in the Mariupol direction. The enemy used 82 mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms.
The first casualties are known. “According to preliminary information, as a result of NRPO (violation of the ceasefire regime) by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Armed Forces of Ukraine), a civilian resident of Staromikhailivka was injured,” the DPR representative office noted.
The DPR police said they opened fire on Ukrainian positions in response to the aggression. In connection with the aggravation of the conflict, the representative of the LPR in the political subgroup of the contact group, Rodion Miroshnik, said that "the regime of silence on the line of contact has been torn to shreds."
The Ukrainian military denied the information that they shelled the Donbass regions. The representative of the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation (JFO), on the contrary, claims that it was the Ukrainian security forces who first came under fire, but did not respond to it.
According to the Ukrainian side, the enemy has recently used weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements against them. “Keep calm and trust the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Ukrainian Armed Forces),” the Ukrainian army urged.
The Ukrainian General Staff pointed out that the enemy "with special cynicism" fired at the Luhansk village from heavy artillery.
“Shells hit the kindergarten facility. According to preliminary data, two civilians were injured,» the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
At the same time, residents of the border regions of Donbass say that they are not particularly worried because of the increased shelling. “In Alchevsk (a city of regional significance in the Luhansk region), in the morning, [gunshots] were very distantly heard. Everything is quiet and calm now. There is no anxiety, we are not planning to leave,” said Elena Khizhko, a resident of Alchevsk.
“The last time this happened was a long time ago, in the summer. I do not intend to leave, already used to it. It used to be louder too. There is no panic, the village lives a normal life. Buses run, shops work, ZHKO sweeps the streets,” said Vadim Rudavin, a resident of Golmovsky (an urban-type settlement in the Donetsk region).
“Our outskirts, of course, as they were shelled, they are being shelled. But there are centers, there is Budyonovka, where not a single shell flew, and no one heard this war. Therefore, everyone, as they say, has his own life,” summed up Gennady, a resident of Donetsk.
bbabo.Net