Ukraine War Update - 8 May 2015

Friday, May 8, 2015  7:27 AM PDT

Two soldiers killed and 26 wounded in ATO area on Thursday

   (Censor.NET) --- A total of 26 wounded and two killed soldiers are reported in the ATO area over the past 24 hours.

   Representative of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine on ATO issues Colonel Andrii Lysenko told at a traditional briefing on Friday, Censor.NET reports.
   "As a result of provocations and hostilities two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 26 wounded in the ATO area over the past 24 hours," Lysenko said.
   According to him, the situation in the ATO area remains tense.

Friday, May 8, 2015  7:21 AM PDT

Two Donbas battalion fighters freed from terrorist captivity

   (Censor.NET) --- Adviser to the Minister of Defense Vasyl Budyk reported on release of two more soldiers from terrorist captivity. Their names are Artur Harmash and Valentyn Koval.

   He wrote it on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.

   Today, two Donbas battalion fighters, Artur Harmash (aka Shylo) and Valentyn Koval (aka Padre), were liberated as a result of direct negotiations conducted by the Department of Interaction at the Defense Ministry," Budyk said.

Friday, May 8, 2015  6:46 AM PDT

Expert: Israeli-made drone shot down over Donbas ‘points to Russian involvement in conflict’

   (UNIAN) ---  The Ukrainian military have shot down a drone in the area of ​​anti-terrorist operation implementation in the sector "B" west of Donetsk which experts say was originally supplied to Russia by Israel.

Part of the drone shot down by the Ukrainian military

 / Photo from 9tv.co.il

   According to Israeli Channel 9, the staff of the Air Intelligence of Ukraine unit identified company plates with inscriptions and the manufacturing index of Israel Aerospace Industries when examining the parts of the downed UAV, as reported by one of the unit commanders of Air Intelligence of Ukraine, Israeli Nathan Khazin, who has been launching Ukrainian drones in the ATO area since the summer of 2014.

   According to Khazin, this was not the first time that the Ukrainian military has shot down Israeli-made drones. Experts say that Russian drones are also equipped with cameras and inertial orientation systems produced in Israel.

Nathan Khazin with parts of the downed Israeli-built

Russian drone / Photo from 9tv.co.il

   The drones are launched by professional military men, rather than just "militants," Khazin said. He said it was unlikely that Israel would have sold its drones to the fighters of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic. Therefore, the fact that such vehicles are appearing over the Donbas is evidence of the direct military intervention of Russia in this conflict, he said.

   Khazin, who has served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), described the current situation as a strange one.

   "Israel, declaring neutrality in the conflict, refuses to sell drones and other military equipment to Ukraine, but has supplied the Russian Federation with its obsolete UAV technology. Moscow, in turn, has been supplying its Arab ‘friends’ with the most advanced Russian weapons," Khazin said.

Friday, May 8, 2015  4:51 AM PDT

Donbas separatists hide heavy weapons from OSCE in hangars in Donetsk

   (Zik) --- Donbas separatists and their Russian patrons do not cease to shell Ukraine army positions using heavy artillery and tanks, the weapons banned under the Minsk agreements, Rada lawmaker and CO of Dnipto-1 volunteer regiment Yury Bereza said on 112 Ukrayina TV late May7.

   “The separatists did not withdraw heavy artillery and tanks from the touchline as had been envisaged by the Minsk agreements. We have video footage showing that these weapons are hidden from OSCE in hangars situated at large Donetsk plants,” he said.

   The same is happening along the entire touchline from Avdiyivka to Mariupol.

   The enemy moves heavy artillery and missiles closer to the touchline for firing, and hide them away in hangars after firing, Bereza said.

Friday, May 8, 2015  2:40 AM PDT

One soldier killed and two wounded near Marinka town

   (Censor.NET) --- Soldiers of the 28th Guards Mechanised Brigade have joined a battle, which has lasted from 5 till 7 a.m. today.

   28th Guards Mechanised Brigade made a statement on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.
   The situation became tense near the town of Marinka. As a result, one serviceman was killed and two were wounded.
   "Today morning (05.08.2015) fighters of the 28th Guards Mechanised Brigade have joined a battle, which lasted from 5 till 7 a.m. The enemy fired with small arms and automatic grenade launchers. The attack has been repelled; this time there were no losses on our part.
   Yesterday night attacks of several terrorist sabotage and reconnaissance groups were repelled in the area. One of the strongholds of the 28th Guards Mechanised Brigade was shelled with an anti-tank missile system. As a result, one soldier was killed and two were wounded," the report reads.

Friday, May 8, 2015  2:03 AM PDT

Terrorists shelled Ukrainian troops 40 times over past 24 hours

   (Censor.NET) --- 40 cases of terrorists' shelling were reported in the ATO area over the past 24 hours, in particular with banned over 100mm heavy weapons.

   This was stated by Dmytro Tymchuk citing Information Resistance data on his Facebook page, Censor.NET reports.
   "In addition to the 'traditional' Donetsk and Mariupol bridgeheads terrorist hostilities intensified in the Artemivsk and Luhansk sectors. The illegal armed groups shelled the villages of Pisky, Opytne, Shyrokyne, Hranitne, Luhanske, Maiorske, Kurdiumivka, Zolote, Rozsadky, Lozove, Sokilnyky, Triokhizbenka, Stanytsia Luhanska, and Krymske, as well as Avdiivka and Svitlodarsk towns.
   In the Luhansk sector, the Russian militants fired from heavy machine guns, 120mm mortars and AGS-17 Plamya automatic grenade launchers. Their sabotage and reconnaissance groups also tried to get in the tactical rear of Ukrainian troops.
   Shelling Ukrainian forces' positions near Shyrokyne, the terrorists used 122-mm artillery and 120-mm mortars. Armoured vehicles (BMP-2 and BTR-80) were used as a part of several fire groups advancing to the front edge near the villages of Pisky and Opytne," Tymchuk wrote.