Kyiv says army takes control of Starohnativka heights in Donetsk region to protect itself from attacks

14:11, 10.08.2015 1 min read

The heights near the village of Starohnativka in Volnovakha district of Donetsk region seized by the Ukrainian army are strategic, yet their recapture was not a mission planned by the army at the start, Vladyslav Selezniov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff, told Interfax-Ukraine.

"Our main fire positions stay as they were. Yet we control these heights in order to protect ourselves from sudden attacks of this kind," he said.

According to Selezniov, militants have retreated towards Bila Kamianka.

"We did not plan to seize them at the start because there is an area exposed to fire there and we did not want to put our servicemen at risk," Selezniov said.

Speaking about the recent clash in Starohnativka, the General Staff representative said that the army had strong defense lines there and that militants had tried to attack them.