Ukraine Day 1176: LIVE UPDATES BELOW. Five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in battle today and Russia-backed forces made 65 attacks on Ukrainian positions.
Yesterday’s coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here.
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An Invasion By Any Other Name: The Kremlin’s Dirty War in Ukraine
The Ukraine Crisis Media Center reports:
The situation drastically escalated in Novyi Aidar and Popasna districts of Luhansk sector. Militants used heavy weapons in 19 of yesterday’s 20 attacks in the sector, reported Ukrainian Ministry of Defense spokesman on ATO Colonel Andriy Lysenko at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “The enemy resumed tactics of heavy armor warfare in the key frontline areas. Main hostilities took place after 18:00. Militants fired about 260 82-mm and 120-mm mortar rounds and 122-mm and 152-mm artillery projectiles at Krymske, Katerynivka, Novooleksandrivka, Novozvanivka and Troitske,” he said. Russian proxies were shooting both from frontline positions and prearranged spots in densely populated residential quarters of towns of Central Luhansk agglomerate, including Almazna city. A school, several residential buildings and power transmission line were damaged in Popasna and the adjacent Troitske, and a private vehicle was burned. In Stanytsia Luhanska district the ceasefire held.
That made Sunday the most violent day of the week. Last week saw a 15% increase in ceasefire violations over the previous week. Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 40 wounded over the course of the entire week.
By the time the afternoon briefing was held, one more Ukrainian soldier was killed and five more were wounded in 30 ceasefire violations, a deadly start to yet another week of war.
Donbas militants attack Ukraine 30 times on May 8 – ATO HQ
Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 30 times on May 8 with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and five as wounded in action (WIA), the press service of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters reports.
Mattis: US to Examine Syria Safe Zones
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the U.S. will closely examine Russia's plan to establish "de-escalation" zones in Syria. "The devil is always in the details," Mattis said Monday when asked ab