Ukraine War Update - 3 August 2015

Monday, August 3, 2015  9:35 AM PDT

Bomb went off near Samooborona main office in Odessa.

   (Censor.NET) --- An explosion rocked an area near the entrance to a former military commissariat on 35 Kanatna Str. in Odessa at 3:20 a.m.

   This is reported by Censor.NET citing Dumskaia.net.
   An investigative group and explosive experts arrived to the scene. They established that an improvised bomb equal to 200 grams of TNT had gone off.
   Samooborona Odesy (Odessa's Self-Defense public organization - ed.) main office has been located at the mentioned address since last year. The majority of activists went to Mariupol on Saturday, Aug. 1, to support an ongoing campaign to protect the front line city's residents.
   The explosion broke the window of a guardhouse and partially damaged the gate facing Kanatna Street. No injured were reported. An architectural monument (the building of the former military commissariat) located in the back yard has not been damaged as well.

Monday, August 3, 2015  9:18 AM PDT

Gen. Taran: OSCE confirms that rebels’ heavy artillery firing positions are in Donetsk

   (Zik) --- The OSCE has confirmed for the first time that rebels’ artillery and tanks are positioned in Donetsk from where they keep shelling Ukraine army positions and civilian areas, Gen. Andry Taran, co-head of the Joint Center for Controlling Ceasefire, Ukrayinska Pravda reports Aug. 3.

   Gen. Taran thanked OSCE observers for their impartial attitude.

   In the night of July 31, OSCE observers registered 40 artillery salvos coming out from the center of Donetsk.

Monday, August 3, 2015  7:33 AM PDT

Ambassador: Canada helps Ukraine prevent Russian militants' spread into its territory

   (Ukraine Today) --- Canadian Ambassador speaks to Ukrainian news outlet Apostrophe about Ukraine crisis

   UNIAN: Canadian assistance to official Kiev helps prevent Russian militants to forge ahead into the deep of the Ukrainian territory, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Roman Waschuk said in an interview with Ukrainian online news source Apostrophe.

   "Our Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Canadian Defense Minister Jason Kenney have repeatedly said that we take into account all variants, and all of them are available in case of escalation of the conflict, including the supply of lethal weapons," Waschuk said.

   According to Waschuk, everything that has been done and planned has a positive impact on Ukraine's defense capability.

   "Some forms of the Canadian assistance contributed to the success of the Ukrainian armed forces during the militant offensive in the town of Maryinka in early June," Waschuk said.

   He also said that the drills, which the two countries were going to stage, would be aimed at increasing the autonomy and mobility of various units of the Ukrainian armed forces.

   "Ukraine itself started to produce and supply modern weapons, which had been previously intended for exports," Waschuk said.

Monday, August 3, 2015  4:17 AM PDT

Four Ukrainian soldiers killed in ATO area in past 24 hours

   KIEV, August 3 (Ukrinform). --- Four Ukrainian servicemen were killed; fifteen soldiers were wounded in ATO area in past 24 hours.

   Spokesman for the Presidential Administration on ATO, Colonel Andriy Lysenko said this at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

   "Four Ukrainian servicemen were killed, fifteen soldiers were injured over the past day," Lysenko said.

Sunday, August 2, 2015  23:52 PDT

Ukrainian engineers design new 82-mm mortar

   (Zik) --- A new Verba (Willow) 82-mm mortar has been designed for the Ukrainian army by Ukroboronprom engineers, head of Rada committee on national security and defense Serhy Pashynsky writes in Facebook Aug. 3.

   “The engineers of state and private companies created a much-needed 82-mm mortar. We hope the testing will be successful and the mortar will be commissioned,” he writes. 

   Ukroboronprom, the state company involved in designing, manufacturing and selling weapons, said earlier production capacity had been raised by 40% to meets the targets.

Sunday, August 2, 2015  22:41 PDT

Aug. 2, Donbas rebels opened fire 99 times

   (Zik) --- The Russian/rebel troops in Donbas have opened fire on Ukraine army positions in Donbas 99 times on Aug.2, Ukraine army says.

   The most intense shelling took place in the Donetsk area, with the enemy using 120-mm mortars and tanks near Pisky, Avdijyvka and Opytne.

   The shelling in the Mariupol area intensified after a lull over the past several days. At 19.00, the enemy used 120-mm mortars to shell Novohryhorivka, Starohnativka and Bohdanivka.

   Between 21.30 and 22.45, the enemy used 122-mm artillery to shell the residential area in Hranitne.