The armed opponents of the Kyiv authorities in Donbas are continuing to shell the government forces' positions in the special operation zone and have been using heavy weapons increasingly more often for this purpose, Andriy Lysenko, the Ukrainian presidential spokesman for the military operation in eastern Ukraine, said at a news briefing in Kyiv on June 6.
“The militants are continuing active armed provocations and the shelling of
the ATO [antiterrorist operation] forces. In particular, the increasingly more
frequent use of heavy weapons by the enemy, ranging from 120mm mortars to 122mm
guns and multiple rocket launchers, has been recorded,” Lysenko said.
Shyrokyne remains the most troubled spot in the Mariupol front, Lysenko said.
“Illegal armed units fired upon ATO forces’ positions with artillery guns once,
and they also resorted to armed provocations using firearms and grenade
launchers,” he said.
Fierce fighting took place near the Donetsk airport, Lysenko said. “In
particular, the Ukrainian positions near the communities of Pisky, Opytne,
Krasnohorivka, Lozove, and the Butivka mine were heavily shelled with 120mm
mortars and 122mm artillery pieces,” he said.
The militia also used armored vehicles and Grad multiple rocket launchers to
attack government forces near Hranitne, Starohnativka, and Luhanske, he
said.
The Maryinka roadblock has been attacked with antitank guided missiles,
mortars, and firearms, and the Berezove roadblock with mortars and
self-propelled artillery pieces.
In the Luhansk front, the militants stepped up their activities near
Schastia, Donetsky, and Zholobok, actively using 120mm mortars there, Lysenko
said.
The use of anti-aircraft guns was also recorded near Zolote and Krymske, he
said.
