Today, Debaltseve and the area around the Debaltsevsky cauldron remains the tensest point at the Novorossiyan front. Uglegorsk, Nikishin and Chernukhin report active offensive actions by the people’s militia.
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| Debaltsevsky cauldron: Red arrows show the Novorossiyan forces’ efforts to close Ukrainian troops’ escape route. |
Uglegorsk is now under the control of the Donetsk People’s Republic militia, but there is great destruction. The Ukrainian military will not be able to regain control over the town, as the militia is firmly holding its positions.
It’s been confirmed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces (APU) are fleeing Nikishin: after a few months of hard fighting on the front lines, the town is completely freed from the Ukrainian security services.
Chernukhin, February 2: The militia reports that an attack on the security forces’ position by the Novorossiyan Armed Forces (VSN) was repulsed and the city is still held by the Ukrainian army.
Debaltseve, February 2: While the city is under APU control, the Novorossiyan army is expected to advance near Uglegorsky, since a frontal assault on Debaltseve cannot be too successful.
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| Destroyed and abandoned Ukrainian military equipment in the suburbs of Debaltseve. |
The latest news: Fighting continues in Krasny Pakhar, and Ingushetia (Trinity) remains under the control of the junta’s forces. In Sanzharovke, there was an attack on Cossack brigade commander Pavel Dremov and his bodyguards. The commander himself was not injured, but some guards were killed.
The militia of Novorossiya now moves mainly due to artillery strikes: the security forces cannot withstand the pressure of artillery and are moving away from their positions.
Translated by Greg Butterfield
Red Star News + Translations 