REUTERS
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and four were wounded in action in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the past day, July 18, according to the press center of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters.
"In total, illegal armed groups violated the ceasefire 23 times in the past 24 hours. Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action, four were wounded in action. The ATO forces fired back 14 times, using mainly small arms and large-caliber machine guns," the ATO HQ said in an update based on information as of 06:00 on July 19.
Read alsoATO HQ: Ukrainian troops in Donbas forced to fire back 10 times in past dayThe two Ukrainian servicemen were killed in mortar and grenade attacks on the villages of Zaitseve and Nevelske.
If the number of enemy attacks decreased in the first half of the day, the situation in the ATO zone aggravated in the evening, the ATO HQ said.
Read alsoEU says Zakharchenko's "Malorossiya" against Minsk peace accordsThe Donetsk sector saw most of violations of the ceasefire by Russia's hybrid military forces. Starting from 17:50 local time and almost until 22:00, enemy units stationed in the occupied town of Yasynuvata and the village of Yakovlevka used 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms to shell Ukrainian troops near Avdiyivka.
In the latter half of the day, Russian proxies also shelled Avdiyivka's residential areas twice. Two civilians were wounded in an 82mm mortar shell explosion.
At about 21:00, enemy tanks attacked Ukrainian strongholds in the town of Krasnohorivka twice.
The Luhansk sector saw violations of the ceasefire near the villages of Donets and Stanytsia Luhanska where small arms were used.
"In the evening and at night, militants once again showed that they do not want de-escalation. Their provocations have caused casualties among servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and civilians in Donbas," the ATO HQ said.