Then in its evening dispatch, the ATO reported 39 attacks during the day, also a significant drop compared to previous days. Three soldiers were wounded and two concussed during this last 24-hour period.
On the Mariupol line, Russia-backed used mortar-launchers on Novotroitskoye, Vodyanoye, Pavlopol and Boganovka. Grenade-launchers and small arms were used on Lebedinskoye, Novogrigoryevka, Shirokino, Chermalik, Vodyanoye and Gnutovo. A sniper fired on Talakovka.
On the Lugansk line, militants attacked Novoaleksandrovka and Popasnyaya with mortar-launchers and used grenade-launchers and small arms on Novozvanovka and Stanitsa Luganskaya.
On the Donetsk line, mortar-launchers were fired on Avdeyevka, Dacha and Luganskoye. Grenade-launchers and small arms were used to attack Kamenka, Luganskoye, Peski, Nevelskoye, Zaytsevo and Troitskloye. Mayorsk, Avdeyevka and Zaytsevo came under fire from small arms and snipers.
As always, fighting is cyclical and temporary increases or decreased in fighting occasionally interrupt the trends. It's also worth noting that 69 ceasefire violations is still a significant level of fighting compared to some of the more peaceful periods recorded in 2016. It remains a situation that requires significant monitoring to see whether violence is actually decreasing once again or whether this is a small period of deescalation.
-- James Miller and Catherine A. Fitzpatrick