Ø The current situation in the Eastern regions of Ukraine remains highly tense with permanent terrorist and subversive activities of separatists, their continuous armed assaults on the CTO units and Russian militaries’ direct involvement in active hostilities.
Ø Recently the CTO forces have liberated from the terrorists more than 65 towns and villages in the eastern regions of Ukraine.
For reference: since July 29, Ukrainian militaries have been providing a humanitarian corridor for civilians to leave the city of Luhansk.
On August 3, Ukrainian militaries liberated the town of Yasynuvata (Donetsk oblast).
Ø Since early July, Ukrainian militaries and border guards are regularly shelled from the territory of the Russian Federation, which led to numerous casualties among the CTO forces.
On June 5, attacks on the positions of Ukrainian border guards started from the Russian territory, when terrorists bypassed Ukrainian border checkpoint “Marynivka” and attacked it from the Russian territory.
On average, daily Russian militaries carry out 3-5 artillery attacks on Ukrainian border guard units. The number of armed attacks from the Russian territory is already over 100.
The Russian Federation Armed Forces use all types of small arms, the NSV heavy machine guns "Utjos", sniper rifles VKS “Vykhlop”, grenade launchers, Akatsia self-propelled Howitzers, and multiple Launch Rocket System BM-21 ("Grad").
In order to provoke the Russian Federation to return fire and trigger off the direct military aggression against Ukraine, from time to time terrorists shell the Russian territory near Ukrainian border checkpoints.
Ukrainian soldiers have never fired on the territory of a neighboring state or its residential areas.
For reference: Russian militaries shelled the CTO forces and Ukrainian border guards from multiple Launch Rocket Systems BM-21 ("Grad") which illegally crossed Ukrainian border,opened fire and then went back to Russia. We recorded such infiltration into the Ukrainian territory on July 16, in the Amvrosiyivka border area and on July 21, near the village of Shevchenko(Donetsk oblast).
Over the last week, Ukrainian militaries were shelled from the territory of the Russian Federation nearly 25 times.
On August 1, at 12.15 a.m. Ukrainian militaries near the village of Dyakove were shelled with mortars and artillery from Russia.
On August 1, the Ukrainian Army units near the border checkpoint “Dovzhanskyy” (Luhansk oblast) were shelled from the territory of the Russian Federation 3 times.
On August 1, the border checkpoint “Uspenka” was shelled with artillery from the Russian village of Marfinka.
On August 1, 10.50-11.50 p.m. Ukrainian border guards near the village of Dyakove were shelled with artillery from Russia.
On August 2, 9.00-11.00 p.m. Ukrainian border guards were shelled from Russian villages of Manotskyy ta Mytyakinske (Rostov oblast).
Almost at the same time, Ukrainian border guard unit near the border checkpoint “Chervonopartyzansk” (Luhansk oblast) was shelled from the Russian territory.
On August 3, at 1.10 and 3.10 p.m. Ukrainian militaries near the border checkpoint “Biryukove” were shelled with artillery from Russia.
On August 3, 9.30-11.40 p.m. Ukrainian border guards were shelled with mortars from the Russian village of Manotskyy.
Over the last day the positions of the Ukrainian Army were shelled and attacked 39 times.
Over the last day the Ukrainian Army units were shelled from the Russian territory 5 times, including shelling with multiple Launch Rocket Systems BM-21 ("Grad").
As a result of hostilities, the casualties of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during this period were as follows: 5 military men killed, 14 military men wounded.
Since the beginning of the CTO, the casualties of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are as follows: nearly 400 military men killed, more than 1450 military men wounded.
Ø We are alarmed by the information that Russia actively pulls its troops and military hardware to the Ukrainian-Russian border not only along Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, but also along neighboring Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.
Ø The Russians continue the infiltration of militants and inflow of arms and heavy weaponry. Every day there are usually several attempts by the columns of Russian heavy weaponry and militants to break into the territory of Ukraine. We have the documentary evidence of these facts.
For reference: on August 1, the Russians have supplied one more batch of military equipment to the terrorists via pontoons over the Seversky Donets River from the Russian territory(near the villages of Popovka and Velykyy Sukhodil in Luhansk oblast).
On August 3, Russia supplied 10 tanks to the terrorists through temporarily uncontrolled sections of Ukrainian state border.
Ø We constantly record the violations of the Ukrainian airspace by Russian helicopters and drones (UAVs).
For reference: on August 1, Ukrainian militaries shot down unmanned aerial vehicle which violated Ukrainian airspace and were engaged in reconnaissance in Donetsk oblast.
On August 3, 4 Russian helicopters Mi-24 and 2 UAVs violated Ukrainian airspace.
Ø The Security Service of Ukraine made public collected during July 2014 evidential base that testifies to the Russian Federation military aggression against Ukraine, illegal conveying of weapons and criminal subversive groups to the Ukrainian territory.
Namely, on the results of satellite surveillance of the CTO area in the border territory of Donetsk oblast, the SSU detected illegal supply corridor of Russian military hardware, weapons and mercenaries through Ukrainian fields.
Ø The illegal armed groups use the fascist tactics of “scorched earth” and terror against the civilian population in order to reduce the resistance of local residents.
In order to discredit the CTO forces, the terrorists shell the residential areas with tanks and multiple Launch Rocket Systems BM-21 ("Grad").
Ukrainian militaries do not use weapons against civilians!
For reference: the total number of Ukrainian citizens who left the CTO area and moved to other regions is 62 394 people, including more nearly 22 000 children.
Ø Ukraine calls on the international community to recognize self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics terrorist organizations.