On the night of 21 and 22 May 2016 the Russian hybrid military force conducted two heavy artillery attacks using 122-mm caliber artillery systems against the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the city infrastructure near Avdiivka City, Donetsk Oblast. Several shells hit the houses of local residents and caused fires. One resident suffered numerous shell fragment wounds. This video by Ukraine’s military television shows the extent of the damage.
“Right after the firing of our positions [in Avdiivka] the Russian mercenaries turned their weapons and fired at Donetsk. This way the aggressor tried to put the blame on the Ukrainian military forces for the shelling of peaceful population and violation of the Minsk Protocol,” Ukraine’s ATO press center noted about the attack.
According to the Ukrainian army and Avdiivka residents, the shelling continued for almost five hours – from half past 10 p.m. till 3 a.m. and roughly 240 shells bombarded Avdiivka. Quite a lot of people have suffered significant losses.
“The most difficult thing about it for me as a Ukrainian citizen is that we are being plainly fired at for three hours in a row and our side cannot respond with fire, shoot with some artillery weapon to finally make them silent for crying out loud!” – complains Iryna, a resident of Avdiivka.
Related:
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- Bodies of soldiers who died in Donbas found in Russian tanks evacuated to Russia
- Why Ukraine must not end the Donbas “blockade”
- Occupied Donbas holds military parade with weapons banned under Minsk agreement
- Putin’s hybrid force in Donbas accepting a large delivery of fake Ukrainian combat uniforms
- Will Ukraine and the West acknowledge the real occupation of the Donbas?
