On February 1, heavy clashes continued between the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), backed up by pro-Kiev paramilitary groups, and forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in the Adveevka industrial area near the DPR capital of Donetsk.
Last night, the UAF made another offensive attempt against DPR forces positions at the Adveevka industrial area, but failed to achieve gains and were again pushed to retreat, suffering casualties (over 20 fighters were killed in action).
In the morning, firefights and artillery duels continued in the area. Some pro-DPR sources even reported that DPR fighters almost entered the Kiev-controlled village. However, this was not confirmed.
On January 31, SF reported that Kiev forces had lost 24 fighters dead and over 60 injured. On February 1, an additional information appeared about the casualties of pro-Kiev forces: 85 fighters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and pro-Kiev paramilitary groups have been killed and 315 others wounded in clashes with forces of DPR. Bodies of the killed pro-Kiev fighters were sent to mortuaries in Dnepr, Krasnoarmeisk and Kharkov.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry officially confirmed that the UAF is conducting an offensive opearion against the DPR (TASS 1.02.2017):
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Igor Poplavsky has in fact confirmed that his country’s armed forces are conducting offensive operations in Donbass.
“By now, whatever may be the case, our guys have heroically moved forward, meter by meter, step by step,” he told the media about the situation in Avdeyevka.
He refrained from commenting on the question about the pullback of heavy weapons from the line of engagement in Donbass, required by the Minsk Accords.
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Video reports in English and French by Christelle Neant a reporter for Doni news service Donetsk can be found on her Vkontakte page at https://vk.com/ulfdis
This story doesn’t fit. Avdeevka was Kiev controlled. So what are DPR forces doing there if they aren’t in the offensive?
I am afraid Putin is testing Trump. Given that he pulled previously something similar off with Merkel (with a dog) I believe he is stupid enough to let himself being seduced to do dumb things when he senses weakness.
The Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Igor Pavlovsky, admitted during a press briefing today that the Ukrainian armed forces are carrying out offensive operations in Donbass.
E. Ukraine and Crimea would be under Ukrainian control and free of fighting at this very moment if the US had not spent $5B to bring down the elected president of Ukraine. Russia made no move to take Ukrainian territory.