Security Council spokesman: At least five Ukrainian army soldiers and hundreds of separatists dead
3.15 p.m. – At least five Ukrainian soldiers and hundreds of separatists have been
killed in the past 24 hours, according to Security Council spokesman Andriy
Lisenko. 21 Ukrainian soldiers had been wounded, he added.
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Security Council spokesman: Three border crossings closed by Russia
2.20 p.m. – Russia has closed the border with Ukraine at three locations, blocking
off escape routes for separatists looking to return to Russia, according to Andriy
Lisenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
Crossings have been closed at Gukovo, Donetsk and Novoshakhtinsk in
Rostov oblast. They had previously been allowing rebel fighters free access,
Lisenko said at a briefing on July 2.
Lisenko added that two accidents have occurred at the border crossings
since the decision was taken, including an incident in which a bus transporting
fighters back across the border to Russia came under fire from Russian border
guards. – Matthew Luxmoore
Video of apparent rebel surrender surfaces
1.20 p.m. – A video purportedly showing rebel forces surrendering to Ukrainian forces near the city of Metalist on July 2 has surfaced online. It comes amid growing reports since July 1 of separatist fighters giving up their weapons to government forces in return for safe transit across the border for those who have come from Russia to take part in the insurgency in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The video apparently shows rebel fighters surrendering to Ukrainian government forces
13 Ukrainian soldiers wounded, 1 killed by rebel sniper
12.50 p.m. – Both sides have suffered casualties in the
past 24 hours. The Ukrainian army has destroyed a proportion of military
equipment in the possession of rebel forces, while rebel forces have managed to
put a Ukrainian tank out of action and destroy four of the army’s howitzer field
guns, ATO spokesman Aleksey Dmitrashkovskiy has told Ukrainian news agency UNN.
“Notwithstanding the pressure the
Ukrainian army is placing them under, separate rebel groups are continuing in
their efforts to break through the ATO cordon. Rebel offensives have been
launched against ATO positions on Karachun hill, near Sloviansk, and against
several block-posts around the besieged city. All attacks were repulsed,”
Dmitrashkovskiy said.
“However, the Ukrainian army has suffered
casualties. One soldier was killed by a terrorist sniper. Another 13 soldiers
were wounded as a result of rebel fire. The Ukrainian army’s military equipment
has also been affected – the terrorists have put a T-64 tank and ‘Ural’ truck
out of action and destroyed four D-30 howitzer field guns,” he added.
“ATO forces have responded with a focused assault. One terrorist base
has been fully destroyed, resulting in a loss in manpower which, according to
operational information, counts in the hundreds. Specific military equipment
has also been destroyed or seriously damaged. More concrete information will be
available later,” Dmitrashkovskiy said. – Matthew Luxmoore
Ukrainian military plan targeted, no casualties reported
12.15 p.m. – A Ukrainian military plane has come under fire from rebels
using portable anti-aircraft weapons, according to ATO spokesman Aleksey
Dmitrashkovskiy.
The SU-24 model plane was flying over Donetsk region when it
came under attack from rebel forces using MANPADS, shoulder-launched
surface-to-air missiles. The plane managed to reach its destination with all on
board unscathed and was successful in destroying the rebel forces’ equipment in
the process, Dmitrashkovskiy said.
“While flying over Donetsk oblast the SU-24 plane came under
fire four times from MANPADS. One
missile landed on board, setting fire to the engine. The personnel managed
to turn off the engine and put out the flames. It was also able to destroy the anti-aircraft
equipment with which it had been targeted,” Dmitrashkovskiy told Interfax.
According
to Dmitrashkovskiy, the plane flew a further 300km on one engine and landed at
the intended destination. During landing another fire broke out on board, which
was put out by fire services.
“The
personnel is alive, healthy, but the plane needs work,” he added. – Matthew Luxmoore
Two wounded in Luhansk in past 24 hours
11.30 a.m. – Several armed
confrontations have occurred in the city of Luhansk over the past 24 hours, resulting
in two casualties. Projectiles hit two schools in the city and a number of
residential homes on July 1, and an air-raid siren was sounded in the city at
6.30 p.m. local time.
According to a
statement on the website of the Luhansk city administration, two schools in the
city – number 35 and number 14 – were hit with projectiles which smashed
windows and ripped plaster off the walls. Several projectiles also hit
residential homes and a number of fires broke out throughout the city during
the day, the statement reveals.
Aleksey Dmitrashkovskiy, a spokesman for the government’s
“anti-terrorist operation”, said he has received reports that Luhansk came
under fire from rebel forces.
“I have information that terrorists have been operating in Luhansk
region. This is information from activists in the area, who say the terrorists have been installing
mortars and firing on residential homes,” Dmitrashkovskiy said in comments to
BBC Ukraine. – Matthew Luxmoore
Foreign Ministry spokesman: Rebel forces divided
10.40 a.m. – A rift is emerging among separatist forces in Donetsk
region, according to Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister.
Gerashchenko was speaking in reference to the storming by rebel fighters of the
Interior Ministry headquarters in central Donetsk on July 1.
A conflict ensued during the operation, Gerashchenko said in
a July 2 interview on Ukraine’s Kanal 5 TV channel, with some rebels wanting to
“fully block the work of the police” and others concerned that this may turn public
opinion against them.
“There’s a certain balance there, when one half of the
terrorists understands that you cannot liquidate the police, and the other half,
mostly under orders from Moscow, carries out the instructions of the Russian army or FSB,” Gerashchenko said.
He added
that one policeman was killed and eight people wounded during yesterday’s gunfight
outside the Interior Ministry building in central Donetsk. – Matthew Luxmoore
Ukrainian border guards report overnight fire on Novoazovsk post; one dead, eight injured
10 a.m. – Kyiv has reported mortar fire on the Novoazovsk border post in the Donetsk region on the Ukrainian-Russian frontier at 0220 on Wednesday.
“The gunfire killed one serviceman and four sustained injuries of various degrees,” the Ukrainian State Border Service said.
A border detail moving towards the border post also came under fire. Four border guards were wounded, three of them seriously, the report said. – Interfax
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