Russia respects ceasefire despite Ukrainian shellings

Moscow, Jan 8.- The Russian Armed Forces have continued to respect the ceasefire regime until midnight despite the shelling by Ukrainian troops, the official spokesman of the Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said today.

Konashenkov added that although the Russian military respected the ceasefire, Ukrainian units have fired more than 60 large-caliber shells at residential areas of Donetsk.

Konashenkov also said that Russian troops foiled an attempt by units of the 110th Mechanized Brigade and 79th Air Landing Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to attack Russian positions near the Donetsk People’s Republic.

The spokesman stressed that, as a result of the retaliatory fire, the enemy’s losses amounted to 50 Ukrainian soldiers killed and wounded, a tank and a car were destroyed.

Meanwhile, near Kupiansk, in the Kharkov region, an attack of the Ukrainian 14th Mechanized Brigade was repulsed.

The retaliatory fire eliminated more than twenty enemy soldiers, a tank, a Grad multiple rocket launcher system combat vehicle and two cars, Konashenkov clarified.

In addition, the Defense Ministry spokesman noted that, Russian troops suppressed the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Krivoy Rog and Kherson from which they continued shelling the Zaporozhie region.

All positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from which shelling was carried out were eliminated by the return fire of the Russian troops, he stated.

The spokesman also noted that the air defense means destroyed four Ukrainian UAVs in the areas of Ilchenkovo, Zaporozhie region, and Guenichesk, Kherson region.

In addition, they intercepted five shells of Uragan and Himars multiple rocket launcher systems, as well as a U.S.-made HARM anti-radar missile in the areas of Donetsk and Zaporozhie region, he concluded.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)