Separatists intensify attacks on Ukrainian forces in Donbass

About 16 people were killed on May 22 in a dawn attack of terrorists on a Ukrainian army checkpoint. It is the worst loss of life for government forces in this current crisis. Heavily armed militants attacked the checkpoint in the Volnovakha area, about 120 km away from the city of Sloviansk, the hottest location of anti-terrorist operation (ATO). The attackers had used armored bank trucks.

Donetsk rebel leader Pavel Gubarev went on Facebook to deny that separatist forces had attacked the soldiers. However, a self-styled rebel commander of Horlivka city nicknamed Bess (“demon” in Russian) reported that they were his forces that carried out the assault. “We destroyed a checkpoint of the fascist Ukrainian army deployed on the land of the Donetsk Republic,” he said. Dmitry Tymchuk, a military expert, reported Bess is Igor Bezler, a lieutenant-colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (MID GS) of the Russian army. According to Tymchuk, Horlivka-based Bezler is in conflict with another group of extremists headed by Soviansk-based terrorist Strelkov, who has been identified as Igor Girkin, a colonel of MID GS.

Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister, Arseny Yatsenyuk, has called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council, saying he has evidence of Russian involvement in violence on Ukrainian territory. Secretary of Ukrainian Security and Defense Council Andriy Parubiy reported on May 22 that the terrorisst which are active in Ukraine had been trained in the Rostov region of Russia. Parubiy said four attacks had taken place on Thursday, three of them repelled with loss of life.

Meanwhile, terrorist attacks continued today. Battalion Donbass, a volunteer military group that helps Ukrainian regular army in the region, reported that it had been attacked this morning near the town of Karlivka, about 20 km to the west of Donetsk city. Most part of the battalion was able to get out of the siege, while some activists have been captured. About half of the battalion members have wounds.  

In other news, Central Election Commission of Ukraine reported that 18 out of 34 election districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions are “totally or partially blocked” as of mid-Thursday, as cited by Interfax-Ukrayina.