The situation in the Eastern regions of Ukraine 27.08.2014 + Maps

Consolidated data of the Information and Analytical Centre of the NSDC of Ukraine 17:00 - 27 august 2014

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko proceeded telephone consultations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

During the discussion Petro Poroshenko described the results of a multilateral meeting in Minsk as a positive signals that may give start to a peaceful settlement of the situation in the Donbas. Among them - finding of common approaches to the control of the border, particular steps in the solving of the release hostages problem, building dialogue about trade relations.

The parties agreed that the logic of President Poroshenko peace plan found support among participants of the meeting in Minsk. The vision itself contained in the peace plan can be the basis for practical steps to de-escalation, particularly for functioning of tripartite working group with representatives of Donbass nominees who will be offered soon.

Also Petro Poroshenko and Angela Merkel discussed further format  of international negotiations, including the possibility of its proceeding in the Norman or the Geneva format to work on the peaceful settlement according the results of the Minsk meeting.

Military actions in the conflict zone

The forces of counter-terrorist operations continue to keep taken position and successfully beat off terrorists' counter-offensives.

The situation in the area of Novoazovsk remains difficult. After the Ukrainian military reinforcements, the town is fully controlled by the combined ATO forces and volunteer battalions of territorial defense. At the same time from abroad there are continuing the attacks of 10 km zone around the city.

This section is enforced with additional forces and means. Ukrainian military organize extra bases and checkpoints. According to the latest data the situation in Mariupol remains calm.

Militants have been attempting in vain to relieve Donetsk and do not stop shelling residential areas. There are lasting counterattacks in the suburbs of the city.

The spokesman of the Information and Analytical Center of NSDC of Ukraine Andrey Lysenko told about that during today's daily briefing,.

Detained in Ukraine Russian paratroopers addressed to the mothers of Russian soldiers who were previously also detained in Ukrainian.

The situation in the conflict zone localities

In the Donetsk region, terrorists fired the villages Starobeshevo, Noviy Svit, Komsomolske, and killed dozens of civilians, destroyed homes, and also Division of the Pension Fund. There is no gas, water, electricity, telephone and mobile communications in this area.

Systematic attacks, sabotage-and-subversion activity of the terrorists indicate that the militants' target is the complete destruction of the infrastructure of Donbass. Russian mercenaries systematically fired industrial plants, public facilities, residential buildings, bridges, destroying the productive capacities of the region. Such actions are aimed at creating in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions "humanitarian catastrophe."

As of today, all enterprises of coke and chemical industry are stopped in Donbass due to fighting actions of terrorists and Russian mercenaries in the ATO area.  Lugansk and Debal'tsevo railway department road, Yasinovatskiy, Ilovajskij railway junctions stopped after the destruction of communications. Stations in Donetsk, Luhansk, Debaltseve, Ilovaisk do not send trains.

Because of constant attacks by terrorists the coal-mines of Kirov and Petrovsky districts of Donetsk region are working in the mode of ventilation and drainage. Most miners were left without pay. Mine "October Mine" is flooding.

There was completely stopped the life-support of "Luhansk" coal-mine of state enterprises "Luganskugol". There is possibility to pump water, to ventilate damaged catting space, there is damaged the head frame lifting.

Terrorists destroyed the loading point of coal-mine "Trudovskaya" in Petrovsky district of Donetsk. Also, due to significant damages there was almost lost the possibility of recovering the further production of mine "Rovenkiantratsit." 

As a result of terrorists fighting in Stanichno-Luhansk district there was damaged the main gas pipeline, which provided the supply of natural gas from Olginskaya fields to the towns of the region. As a result, without gas supply remained about 15 thousand people in the region.

In Mariupol soldiers of volunteer battalion "Azov" detained the organizer of subversive groups, who financed the terrorists.

The Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the Luhansk region has established cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The operational information is provided in real-time mode, regarding the location and displacement of military equipment and living forces of terrorists. As a result during the last week we managed to avoid the losses of our military and also to destroy a large number of disguised terrorists' vehicles.

International support

On August 26th the Ministry of Defence of Poland sent into Ukraine a first shipment of humanitarian aid to be delivered to the military by the end of August. The Polish Ministry reminded that in general it planned to send into Ukraine about 320 tons of humanitarian aid, including food items with extended shelf life, mattresses, blankets and bedding. The cargo is to be delivered to one of the military bases near the city of Lviv. The transfer of assistance is provided according to the agreements of 14 August between Polish and Ukrainian Ministries of Defence.

Today Switzerland has tightened sanctions against Russia in connection with the events in Ukraine. The list of sanctions has been extended by 11 names and five banks. The country has forbidden starting new financial relations with them. Also it's obligatory to inform the government about the existing respective relations. In addition, the Swiss authorities have banned the import of war materials from Russia, as well as the export of equipment for the oil industry.

Consolidated data of the Information and Analytical Centre of the NSDC of Ukraine 12:00 - 27 august 2014

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko held talks with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and representatives of the European Union yesterday in Minsk.

Three key issues were discussed during the meeting: peace and security in the region, closing up of the Ukrainian-Russian border to prevent traffic of equipment, ammunition and mercenaries, and the release of captives and hostages.

Summing up the meeting, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko stressed that Ukraine calls for decisive action that can bring peace to the Ukrainian land. According to the President, the parties agreed to revitalize the trilateral contact group.

Following the talks the consultations between the Chiefs of General Staff shall begin through the trilateral contact group to quickly shift to a bilateral ceasefire regime controlled by representatives of the OSCE Monitoring Mission.

Military operations in the zone of conflict

Information regarding the situation in the southern districts of Novoazovsk-Mariupol area. After yesterday's fighting Ukrainian security forces gained a foothold on the eastern boundary of village Bezimenne. Novoazovsk-Mariupol road is under our control. Mobile mixed groups of soldiers, policemen and guards set up posts on the most dangerous routes of the probable enemy movement in the area of Mariupol. The town of Novoazovsk is shelled both from the Russian territory and from the occupied positions on the Ukrainian territory. However, the town remains under the control of our forces.

Military units around Mariupol were strengthened by additional forces. Last night in this area arrived 1-st operational brigade of the National Guard equipped with the new military hardware, which made the march in the area ATO after events dedicated to the Independence Day. Military enhance fortification lines. Currently, the operational situation in the Mariupol calm and controlled. Transport and the enterprise operating normally.

North of Novoazovsk Russians and terrorists occupied the villages Markine, Kovske, Shcherbak, Klimkino, Sedovo-Vasylivka, Kuznetsy, Rosy Luxemburg. From the territory of  Russia were made massive shellings of settlements Huselschykovo, Sedove, Obriv and Holodne. Artillery fire is corrected by drones of the Russian armed forces.

At this time, on the other areas it continues fighting in settlements Starobeshevo, Olenyvka, Mar'inka, Zhdanivka, Luhansk, Donetsk and Ilovaysk.

Defensive battles are continuing to hold settlements Novosvitlivka, Hryaschuvate. ATO forces units carried operative actions in settlements Rodakovo, Illyria and Malomykolayivka. Battlefield engagements are proceeding to keep under control Ilovaysk and also access roads and superior heights around it.

Yesterday, the terrorists attempted to attack the ATO forces checkpoint near the village of Adrianapil (Donetsk region). Attack was repulsed, it were captured eight militants and small arms.

As a result of Ukrainian artillery firing strikes on accumulation of terrorists nearby towns Gorlivka and Ilovaysk, it were destroyed three tanks, one armored combat vehicle, two "Grad" systems, four mortars, one car and one "Smerch" system (multiple launching system, caliber 300 mm, equipped by prohibited cluster ammunition, about the use of which we have repeatedly reported). Also it were destroyed about two hundred terrorists. In response to the attack on our position near the settlement of Krasny Yar artillery fire destroyed one detachment together with mortar.

During the day ATO forces entered into fire contact 34 times with terrorists by settlements Novosvitlivka, Novoazovsk, Krasny Yar, Stanichno Luhansk, Verhunskyy Razyizd, Maryanka, Andrianopsl, Styla, Makarovo, Komisarivka, Shyroke, Avdeyevka, Heorhiyivka, Fedorivka and airfields Lugansk and Donetsk.

Donetsk action-gangsters together with Russian invaders occupied the village Starobeshevo (Donetsk region). The local hospital was defeated. The wounded, who were in the hospital, were pre-evacuated to Mariupol and Berdyansk.

According to available data, on the outskirts of the settlement Pobeda it was deployed headquarter of battalion tactical group of the Russian Federation. In Amvrosiyivka came in 5 armored personnel vehicles and 1 "Kamaz" with manpower. If this task force also lost and accidentally went into the territory of Ukraine, as well as paratroopers of 98th Airborne Division, we can recall that they can come back in Russia just holding right direction to the East.

Attacks are continuing on Ukrainian territory from Russia. Thus, in addition to Novoazovsk yesterday it was conducted shelling from the Russian Federation of State border guard roadblocks and the Armed Forces by settlements Kolesnykivka and Yuhanivka.

The situation elsewhere on the border remains tense. Yesterday at 10:20 nearby Kochkarske (Donetsk region) there was a battle between border officers and a group of terrorists. After reinforcements arriving militants retreated. It was held a combing of the area to identify the suspect persons.

Russia continues to increase its military presence in its borderlands. During the day the military equipment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation concentrated in the border with Ukraine regions, mainly in the Rostov region. At the same time, it is marked the reduction of military units in the border regions of Belgorod, Kursk, Voronezh and Bryansk.

Russian military held equipping positions nearby Djankoi and temporarily occupied the north of Crimea Peninsula. Among the local population it is spread information about possible military action.

Yesterday it was reported violations air areas of Ukraine Army by the Aviation Armed Forces of the Russian Federation by town Chervony Chaban (Kherson region) where it was found flight in up to 500 m from the territory of the Crimea into mainland of Ukraine of 3 RF helicopters which conducted reconnaissance along the border and turned back.

The situation in the conflict zone localities

According to current information from the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) as of August 26, two offices of the Pension Fund work remotely: the main office in Donetsk region (in the building of the Mariupol office) and an office in Starobesheve.

All the other PFU offices in the Donetsk region work in normal mode, besides the cities of Gorlivka, Thorez, Khartsizk, Zhdanivka, Kirov and Yenakiyeve, as well as in Yasynuvata and its region, Shakhtarsk and its region.

The main office of PFU in the Luhansk region also operates remotely. PFU Offices in the cities of Krasny Luch and Anthracite and in Antratseet region operate in standby mode. All the other PFU offices in the Luhansk region work in normal mode besides the offices in Pervomaisk, Krasnodon and Krasnodon region,as well as in Leninski, Zhovtnevy, Artemivskiy and Kam'yanobrodske districts of Luhansk, which are temporarily out of service.

According to the available information of the State Emergency Service, currently the total number of citizens of Ukraine, displaced from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to other regions, is more than 17 thousand persons, including about 5 thousand children. The number of citizens displaced to other regions from the area of ATO is more than 115 thousand people, including about 40 thousand children.

Since July 6, 2014  - the date when the pyrotechnic units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine started their work - more than 16,000 items of ammunition and explosive devices been detected and seized in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Russian paratroopers (from the 331th regiment of the 98th Svirsky division of the Airborne Troops of the Russian Federation Armed Forces) were detained on August 25 in the village of Dzerkalne in Donetsk region. They have already been conveyed to one of detention centers in Kyiv.