High-intensity combat with the use of cannon and rocket artillery occurred all along frontline positions in the Donbas, Ukraine’s military reported in a morning communique on May 20.
Over the past 24 hours, Russian-backed forces committed at least 58 ceasefire violations in the war zone, the Joint Forces Operation press center said, adding that in as many as 22 incidents the militants engaged 122-millimeter artillery pieces, and 120- and 82-millimeter mortars.
Also, during the night of May 20, Ukrainian troops deployed near the vital Donetsk Water Filtration station at the stronghold town of Avdiiivka were attacked with BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket systems.
In Luhansk Oblast, the military said, Kremlin proxies assaulted army forces near key hotspots of Krymske, Troitske, but nevertheless failed to knock Ukrainian troops out of their advantageous defensive positions.
New clashes were also registered in Donetsk Oblast, notably near Zaitseve, Avdiyivka, and Novotroitske. “The enemy adheres to delivering artillery and mortar fire from the living quarters of the (occupied) city of Horlivka, hiding behind the civilian population,” the military press service said. Also, fresh fighting was seen at the near-frontline areas northeast of Mariupol close to the Azov Sea coast strip.
As a result, at least three Ukrainian servicemen were wounded in action through May 19. According to the military intelligence, the enemy forces lost one fighter in action, and more three hostile combatants were injured. As of May 20 morning, Ukrainian forces had not sustained any new casualties, the communique added.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry’s main intelligence directorate also reported that Russia distributed a considerable amount of munitions, including 122-millimeter Grad rockets, artillery shells, and small arms supplies, to its proxy forces in the occupied Donbas.
The new batch of hardware was transported by rail to the occupied transport hub of Ilovaisk, military intelligence said on May 20.
