Col. Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman for ATO [Anti-Terrorist Operation] issues, reported 18 ceasefire violations in the Donetsk area in the last reporting period, with cannons and mortars actively used in Avdeyevka (Avdiivka) and the vicinity yesterday, May 14, the Ukrainian Crisis Center reported.

He said Russia-backed forces were shooting from the south, from the direction of Spartak, when they killed four family members and wounded one, leaving two children orphaned as we reported yesterday.

Four Ukrainian servicemen were wounded on the front line today, he reported.

Col. Motuzyanyk said the area of Svitlodarsk was massively attacked with mortars, APC weapons, grenade launchers and sniper rifles firing from the east.

He said after 22:00, militants fired Grad missiles at Novolugansk (Novoluhanske) resulting in damage to agricultural buildings and an adjacent gas line.

Militants also fired mortars and small arms on Zaytsevo and snipers were active in Verkhnyetoretskoye. Peski (Pisky) was attacked at dawn with light weapons.

On the Martime line, there were 33 attacks including on Maryinka and Krasnogorovka; residential areas were hit in the eastern part of Maryinka. Near Dokuchayevks, militants attacked with machine guns, mortars and grenade-launchers; they also struck Nikolayevka and Novoselovka Vtoraya. Chermalyk, Vodyanoye and Shirokino were also struck.

On the Lugansk like, there were 10 attacks, mainly in Popasnyaya direct, with attacks on Novozvanovka, Troitskoye, Malinova and Krymskoye.

In its evening dispatch, the ATO reported 24 attacks, including on Shirokino with 120-mm, Gnutovo and Pavlopo with grenade-launchers and small arms and heavy machine guns on Vodyanoye again.

On the Lugansk line, militants used 152-mm artillery banned under the Minsk agreement as well as 82-mm to attack Novozvanovka, and also fired on Krymskoye. At Stanitsa Luganskaya and Novoaleksandrovka, anti-tank grenades were used; near Troitskoye, 122-mm artillery was used.

On the Donetsk line, 120-mm mortars were fired near Avdeyevka, Kamenka, Zaytsevo and Verkhnyetoretskoye; 82-mm, grenade-launchers and heavy machine guns as well as light arms were used. An armed tank was fired on Kamenka.

-- Catherine A. Fitzpatrick 

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