10:57 12.02.2015

Heavy fighting under way outside Mariupol – Ukrainian govt forces

2 min read
Heavy fighting under way outside Mariupol – Ukrainian govt forces

Heavy fighting was under way near Shyrokyne and Sakhanka northeast of Mariupol, the Donetsk region of Ukraine, as of 8:00 a.m. Thursday, the press service of the special Ukrainian police regiment 'Azov' reported on Thursday morning.

"The situation is getting increasingly tense. The enemy attempted to launch a counterattack with support of artillery and tanks. It has engaged everything it has, including tanks, self-propelled guns, mortars, and rocket artillery. The enemy's infantry was destroyed while approaching Shyrokyne. The attack got bogged down. The enemy is sustaining huge losses," the regiment's press service reported on its VKontakte account.

The militants are still firing artillery upon Shyrokyne, it said.

The 'Azov' press service also said the enemy attempted to fire artillery upon Mariupol outskirts. "Due to the fact that we managed to push forward the frontline, the enemy shells didn't reach the town," it said.

Dmytro Chaly, a press officer of the so-called Sector M (the Ukrainian military codename for Mariupol and its outskirts), confirmed the report on the militants attempts to shell the town.

"Mariupol was shelled twice this morning, at 6:15 a.m. and 6:20 a.m., the first time using Grad [multiple rocket launchers] upon an area 1.5 kilometers east of Mariupol, and the second time conventional artillery upon the same place. Preliminary reports indicate that there were no casualties," Chaly said.

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