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Shyrokyne standoff

Coordinates: 47°06′40″N 37°40′41″E / 47.1112°N 37.6780°E / 47.1112; 37.6780
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Shyrokyne standoff
Part of War in Donbass
Date10 February 2015 – present
(−10 years, 4 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Shyrokyne, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Result

Ongoing

  • Ukrainian forces capture Shyrokyne, Pavlopil, Kominternovo[1] and Oktyabyr[2]
  • Separatists recapture Pavlopil, Pyshchevyk, Kominternovo.[3] and much of Shyrokyne[4]
Belligerents
Ukraine Ukraine Donetsk People's Republic Donetsk People's Republic
Commanders and leaders
Ukraine Andriy Biletsky Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Zakharchenko
Units involved
Azov Battalion Novorossiya Armed Forces
Casualties and losses
25 killed, 100 wounded[5] 5 killed, 56 wounded[6]
31 civilian killed[7]

Background

Main article: January 2015 Mariupol rocket attack

A rocket attack was launched on 24 January 2015, by pro-Russian forces associated with the Donetsk People's Republic against the strategic maritime city of Mariupol, defended by the Ukrainian government forces. The attack left 30 civilians dead. Mariupol had come under attack multiple times in the past year in the course of the War in Donbass, including in May–June 2014, when the city was under the control of pro-Russian forces; and the September 2014 offensive.[8][9]

Events

Ukrainian offensive

On 10 February, following Mariupol's exposed vulnerability due to the rocket attack, the National Guard and the Azov Battalion launched an offensive on the town of Novoazovsk. The offensive started when National Guard units broke through enemy lines.[10] According to the Kyiv Post, the offensive was launched to stop rebels from shelling Mariupol and regaining its positions set by the Minsk Agreement.[11] The Azov Battalion, however, stated that the offensive was launched to retake the town of Novoazovsk.[12] The offensive was also launched to relieve pressure on the besieged town of Debaltseve. The Azov Battalion managed to capture the towns of Shyrokyne, Pavlopil, and Kominternovo, and were advancing towards Novoazovsk.[1] Ukrainian flags, according to the battalion, were raised in Shyrokyne, Pavlopil and Oktyabyr. Ukrainian forces managed to push the separatists back to Sakhanka, where the rebels were fighting back.[2]

Continued fighting

Heavy battles took place in the village of Sakhanka on 11 February.[13] On 14 February, an intense artillery battle took place in Shyrokyne. Many members of the Azov Battalion were wounded in the fighting, and some said that the village had virtually been destroyed. Ukrainian government forces managed to capture some prisoners, and the Azov Battalion said they expected more reinforcements to come.[14]

On 16 February, five Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 22 wounded during a separatist attack on Ukrainian army positions in Shyrokyne.[15]

On 25 February, the separatists recaptured Pavlopil and Pyshchevyk. On the same day, the Donbass battalion said that it destroyed a rebel fuel truck and an anti-aircraft gun in heavy fighting in Shyrokyne, which could be heard in the nearby village of Berdyanske where Ukrainian forces were building a second line of defense.[3]

On 27 February, amid fears the rebels could be regrouping and preparing to attack Mariupol, a military spokesman said pro-Russian military equipment had been tracked leaving Donetsk in the direction of Mariupol.[16]

On 9 March, more fighting was reported near Mariupol. Ukrainian government forces accused the rebels of firing mortars and tank fire on the eastern edge of the city and attempting to drive Ukrainian forces out of Shyrokyne.[17] On 5 April, a landmine exploded under a military vehicle at Shyrokyne killing two soldiers and injuring a third, a military spokesman said on the TV channel 112.[18]

By 21 March, rebels controlled 30 percent of the village,[19] while by the end of the month, 50–60 percent of Shyrokyne had been destroyed due to the fighting.[20]

On 13 April, it was confirmed the separatists had captured the village of Vodyane, seven kilometers east of Mariupol, after it was in the middle of a no man's land for almost a month following a retreat by government troops.[21] The next day, a Russian journalist was injured by a landmine in Skyrokyne during a tour as some of the heaviest fighting since February erupted.[22] By 16 April, separatists were in control of much of Shyrokyne.[4]

On 18 April, a Georgian member of the Azov Battalion was killed in fighting near Shyrokyne.[23]

In late April, Deutsche Welle reported that pro-Russian militants had set up positions in the centre of Shyrokyne and that the OSCE and Red Cross were not always granted access.[24] On 26 April, the OSCE observed what it assessed to be the most intense shelling in Shyrokyne since February.[25]

On 5 May, 12 hours of sustained separatist attacks in Shyrokyne against Ukrainian positions near the beach took place, after a one-hour tank assault was launched, followed by constant firefights.[26]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ukraine conflict: Battles rage ahead of Minsk talks". BBC. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b Staff writers; Maxim Tucker (10 February 2015). "Azov Battalion spearheads Ukrainian counter-offensive". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b Alec Luhn (25 February 2015). "Mariupol, next in the sights of pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  4. ^ a b War Heats Up Near Mariupol
  5. ^ "Сегодня исполнилось 3 месяца взятия под контроль сил АТО Широкино под Мариуполем". Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  6. ^ Wounded Ukraine rebels fill hospital as clashes flare around Mariupol
  7. ^ "Terrorists shell Shyrokyne with artillery killing a civilian – Interior Ministry". Censor.ua. February 26, 2015.
  8. ^ Busvine, Douglas (25 January 2015). "Rebels press Ukraine offensive, Obama promises steps against Russian-backed 'aggression'". Reuters. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  9. ^ Charbonneau, Louis (27 January 2015). "Military & Defense More: Reuters Ukraine Russia United Nations UN: Rocket Attacks By Russian-Backed Rebels On The Ukrainian City Mariupol Were A War Crime". Reuters. Business Insider. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  10. ^ Pavel Polityuk; Alessandra Prentice; Louise Ireland (10 February 2015). "Ukrainian forces launch offensive near Mariupol, east Ukraine: Kiev". Reuters. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Kyiv reports army counter-offensive near Mariupol". Kyiv Post. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  12. ^ "Ukraine's Azov regiment claims to have launched offensive on Novoazovsk". Kyiv Post. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Azov Battalion reports fighting for village of Sakhanka". Kyiv Post. February 11, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  14. ^ "Battle under way near Shyrokyne in Donetsk region, many wounded, government forces say". Kyiv Post. Interfax-Ukraine. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  15. ^ Defense of Mariupol: Five Ukrainian soldiers killed, 22 wounded in Shyrokyne
  16. ^ Natalia Zinets (27 February 2015). "Deaths shake Ukraine truce; Poroshenko wary of Russian threat". Reuters. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  17. ^ "Ukraine says rebels attack near Mariupol, NATO deploys Baltic troops". Yahoo News. March 9, 2015.
  18. ^ Ukrainian soldiers killed in separatist attacks on anniversary of conflict
  19. ^ Three killed as clashes rumble on in east Ukraine
  20. ^ OSCE says 60% of Shyrokyne buildings destroyed as fighting continues near Mariupol
  21. ^ Silent advances reloaded: Ukraine loses another village East of Mariupol
  22. ^ Highest Death Toll In Eastern Ukraine Since February
  23. ^ Foreigners Who Fight And Die For Ukraine: Even those killed get no recognition
  24. ^ Hofmann, Frank (25 April 2015). "Ukraine: No end in sight for the women of Shyrokyne". Deutsche Welle.
  25. ^ "OCHA - Ukraine - Situation report No.38 as of 1 May 2015" (PDF). reliefweb.int. 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  26. ^ Pro-Russian rebels 'launch 12-hour attack' on Ukraine forces

Template:2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

47°06′40″N 37°40′41″E / 47.1112°N 37.6780°E / 47.1112; 37.6780

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