The Ukrainian side launched 642 tank shells, artillery shells of 152 and
122mm calibers, and mines of 82 and 120mm calibers, DPR’s military authorities
told the Donetsk News Agency.
DONETSK/LUGANSK, March 5. /TASS/. Authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) report the Ukrainian military during the night to Sunday continued shelling the republics.
"From 18:00 to midningt, the Ukrainian side launched 642 tank shells, artillery shells of 152 and 122mm calibers, and mines of 82 and 120mm calibers," DPR’s military authorities told the Donetsk News Agency.
DONETSK/LUGANSK, March 5. /TASS/. Authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) report the Ukrainian military during the night to Sunday continued shelling the republics.
"From 18:00 to midningt, the Ukrainian side launched 642 tank shells, artillery shells of 152 and 122mm calibers, and mines of 82 and 120mm calibers," DPR’s military authorities told the Donetsk News Agency.
Besides,
shelling of the Donetsk water purification plant resumed in the morning.
"At
8:30, the Ukrainian military resumed shelling of the plant’s area," the
source said. "The military used mortars, the plant’s personnel is now in
the shelter."
LPR’s
militia reported the Ukrainian military 29 times opened fire on their
positions.
"They
used 120 and 82mm mortars, infantry fighting vehicles, anti-air systems,
grenade launchers and small arms," LuganskInformCenter quoted the source.
The UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in the
Humanitarian Bulletin covering the period January 1 through February 28:
"Since the beginning of the year, OHCHR verified 111 civilian casualties
(20 deaths and 91 injuries), compared to 51 in November-December 2016."
The document points out that most civilians died or sustained wounds in result
of "shelling from artillery, tanks" and multiple rocket launch
systems.
The
bulletin says that over 2,000 civilians have been killed and about 7,000 more
sustained injuries since the conflict erupted in east Ukraine in April 2014.
"These are conservative estimates by OHCHR based on available data; the
actual number of casualties is believed to be higher," the UN body said.
"Damage
to houses and vital infrastructure, including electricity, water (with knock on
effect on the heating system), as well as schools and health facilities, was
also widespread. These events further added to the suffering of already
vulnerable people whose resources and resilience have been depleted by the
protracted crisis," it said.
In late
January, the situation along the line of contact in Donbass deteriorated
dramatically. The Contact Group for settling the situation in eastern Ukraine
announced that weapons banned by the Minsk agreements should be withdrawn from
the line of contact by February 5, but the decision was not implemented.
On February
15, the Contact Group made another decision stipulating that all weapons banned
by the Minsk agreements should be withdrawn from the line of contact by
February 20. Foreign ministers of the four member states of the Normandy
Quartet (Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine) upheld this initiative at a
meeting that took place on February 18. However, according to the
self-proclaimed republics, Kiev has been hampering the implementation of this
decision. The Ukrainian authorities, in turn, have been accusing the
self-proclaimed republics of violating the ceasefire.
Since the
autumn of 2014, members of the Contact Group on settling the situation in
eastern Ukraine have announced ceasefires in Donbass more than ten times.
However, the Ukrainian military have been repeatedly violating ceasefires,
particularly using large caliber guns, mortars and tanks that should be
withdrawn from the line of contact in accordance with the Minsk agreements.
At the
recent meeting of the Contact Group, held on March 1, the parties agreed to
resume the weapons withdrawal process on March 7.
Source:
ITAR-TASS 05-03-2017
