JFO HQ reports 5 KIA, 7 WIA amid 42 enemy attacks in Donbas in past 24 hours

KYIV. Aug 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Russian-backed militants have launched 42 attacks on positions of Ukrainian troops in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in Donbas in last day, with five Ukrainian soldiers killed in action (KIA) and seven wounded in action (WIA), the press service of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has reported.

"The enemy opened fire 42 times on the positions of our troops, including three times with weapons banned by Minsk agreements ... Over the past day, five Ukrainian defenders were killed, seven more members of the JFO were injured," the JFO staff said on Facebook on Friday morning.

It is noted that the militants opened fire from 122-mm artillery systems, 120-mm and 82-mm mortar shells, armored vehicles, grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms.

The enemy shelled Ukrainian positions near such populated localities as: the villages of Krymske, Novotoshkivske, Troyitske, Luhanske, Pivnichne, Zalizne, Novhorodske, Pisky, Krasnohorivka, Starohnativka, Hranitne, Chermalyk, Hnutove, Pavlopil, Lebedynske, Vodiane, and Shyrokyne.

"Over the past day, the tense situation was observed in the Luhansk sector in the area of Krymske and Novotoshkivske, where the enemy opened fire from artillery and mortars. Soldiers of the Joint Forces repulsed the enemy's attack and remained on the occupied positions," the message reads.

Also, the Russian occupation forces shelled Ukrainian positions near Luhanske, Chermalyk, and Lebedynske, using 82mm mortars.

The report says that since Friday midnight, the invaders have already mounted five attacks on the JFO positions near Krymske, Hnutove, Pavlopil, and Vodiane. At night, Krymske again came under 122mm artillery fire, Pavlopil was under 82mm mortar fire.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, 12 enemy troops were eliminated, another 20 were wounded in the past day.