17/01/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Heavy fighting taking place in the Donets’k airport all day

01/17/2015 Daily Highlights by "Digests and Analytics - Ukraine" News Agency

Topics of the day

Ukrainian army broke through to the ruins of the Donets’k airport. The OSCE has determined that a passenger bus near Volnovaha was destroyed by rockets fired by militants.

War in Ukraine

• Heavy fighting involving artillery, MLRS and tanks taking place in the Donets’k airport all day. Chief of General Staff Muzhenko arrived to lead the operation of unblocking the terminal. Paratroopers and volunteers from the "Right Sector" made their way to the building and evacuate the deceased and wounded. Fighting continues. According to witnesses dozens of the militants and Russian troops were killed and wounded. Fierce battles also took place in the area of Mar’yinka.
• Residential areas of Donets’k, Avdiyivka, Mar’yinka, Popasna, Stanitsa Luhans’ka, outskirts of Mariupil and Debaltseve were under fire dozens of times, several civilians were killed and wounded. Civilian infrastructure suffered major damage. Large charcoal chemical plant was partially destroyed in Avdeevka.
• OSCE established as a result of the investigation, that a bus with civilians near Volnovaha was destroyed by the fire from the territory controlled by insurgents.
• US Ambassador Pyatt said that Russia continues to move tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and other military equipment to the border with Ukraine,.
• Russia continues to transfer military equipment to the territory of Ukraine. Convoy of 50 military trucks was observed in Luhans’k, signals intelligence and radio intercept equipment previously was delivered there.
• The leaders of terrorist Luhans’k "republic" have decided to announce the mobilization on the territory under their control.
• Luhans’k region governor Moskal stated that bus and freight transport will not be permitted to entry the territory controlled by the LPR from January 19 due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the combat zone.

Ukraine and the World

• Belarusian Ambassador Velichko said that the government will not allow to use its territory as a staging ground for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• State of the Ukrainian pilots Savchenko who continue the hunger strike in a Moscow prison, has deteriorated. She demands to recognise her as a prisoner of war and release immediately.

Trends

• Ukrainian army and volunteer battalions that regained control of the part of Donets’k airport territory do not develop offensive, since the country authorities fear a full-scale invasion of Russian troops concentrated on the eastern border of Ukraine.