Timeline of the war in Donbass (October–December 2014)

This is a timeline of the War in Donbass, from October to December 2014. The timeline follows an ongoing conflict between Ukrainian government and anti-government separatists supported by Russian troops in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.

1 October
Donetsk city council reported the death of nine civilians and injuries on another 30 as a result of heavy shelling. One artillery round landed on a bus station in the district of Kiev, killing six people and wounding 25. Other three people were killed and five wounded when a school was hit in the same area.

Pro-Russian militias stormed Donetsk airport, briefly capturing two buildings in the airport terminal. According to Ukrainian sources, there were four attempts by the rebels to break through the defensive lines. They succeeded in taking over the terminal on one occasion, but were eventually evicted by the Ukrainian defenders. The Ukrainian army claimed that seven militants were killed and ten wounded in the action. There were no Ukrainian casualties.

Seven Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in Shchastya after a mortar and multiple grenade launcher attack. Hostile unmanned aerial vehicles were spotted over the area.

2 October
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and 18 wounded over the past 24 hours.

Explosions and machine gun fire was heard from the Ukrainian positions in Shchastya, which was shelled by Luhansk militias entrenched in the hills beyond the Seversky Donets river for the tenth consecutive day. One school was hit by armour-piercing rounds. Columns of smoke raised from the town at evening, and some areas were blacked out.

A Swiss Red Cross worker was killed when his office was struck by artillery fire in Donetsk city.

3 October
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and nine wounded in the area of operations overnight. There were also 40 attacks on Ukrainian positions in the past 24 hours.

The old terminal of Donetsk airport was stormed by pro-Russian troops, who used smoke grenades. The first floor of the building was occupied by the attackers, only to be retaken by Ukrainian forces some time later. Part of the building was set ablaze. One Ukrainian soldier died and three were injured during the action. Earlier, Ukrainian media reported as many as five servicemen killed.

At early morning, Ukrainian troops and residential areas in Debaltseve came under an intense "Grad" rocket barrage. Several houses were damaged.

At evening, several houses in the Donetsk city's district of Kiev were engulfed by flames after being hit by heavy artillery fire.

Ukrainian military intelligence and military analyst Dmitry Tymchuk claimed that there was a rebel build-up of armoured forces supported by the Russian army in eastern Ukraine, specially around the towns of Telmanovo, Debaltseve and Ol'hynka.

In the town of Zuhres, two children were killed and five wounded by the blast of an unexploded artillery shell they were handling.

4 October
Pro-Russian forces carried out two assaults on Donetsk airport supported by artillery and tanks, but their attempts were beaten off by the Ukrainian army. Ukrainian media claimed that the defenders knocked down and captured a T-64 tank.

The encampment of the 92nd Ukrainian infantry brigade near Shchastya was hit by mortar fire. Nine civilians and one soldier were injured. The pro-Russian "Army of the Great Don" also fired mortar rounds on positions of the Ukrainian National Guard in the same area.

The town of Lysychansk and a Ukrainian security checkpoint in the small village of Bobrov came under "Grad" rocket fire.

Two Ukrainian patrol boats were attacked by rebel forces with mortar fire off Shyrokyno.

Two civilians were killed when several artillery rounds landed in the Donetsk city district of Kiev.

5 October
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and six wounded over the past 24 hours.

Two civilian residents were killed and eight wounded in Donetsk city in the course of heavy shelling on the districts of Kiev and Kuybishev.

In an apparent show of strength, pro-Russian tanks opened fire from the village of Oktyabr, northeast of Talakivka, near Mariupol. Ukrainian sources claimed that another rebel tank was destroyed by return fire in Shchastya, where a tank attack was previously reported. The Ukrainian checkpoint on the Seversky Donets river was the target of a mortar attack. Hennadiy Moskal later declared that two Ukrainian army trucks, one "Ural" and one "Kamaz", were destroyed.

Pro-Russian pressure on Donetsk airport continued unabated, as heavy artillery fire pounded the Ukrainian positions in the area. There were also mortar and artillery attacks on Ukrainian outpost in Ridkodub, Pisky, Krasnohorivka, Slavne and Vlahodatne. Rebel snipers were also active in Starohnativky.

At evening gunmen driving a car sprayed automatic fire on a bus in the Mariupol's district of Ordzhonikidze. Three passengers were wounded. Ukrainian authorities said that saboteurs who were at the time chased by security forces were responsible for the attack.

OSCE headquarters announced that they will curtail the number of patrols in certain areas of eastern Ukraine due to increasing violations of the ceasefire.

6 October
One Ukrainian seviceman was killed and 13 wounded during the past 24 hours.

The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Relations reported that since the beginning of the truce 56 Ukrainian soldiers and 32 civilians were killed. Other 316 members of the armed forces were wounded.

Three civilians were killed and four wounded in the city of Donetsk when artillery fire hit the districts of Kiev, Kirov and Petrovsky.

"Grad" rockets landed in the town of Zolote, Luhansk Oblast, killing one civilian woman. Other two civilians, father and son, were killed in Popasna when pro-Russian forces from Pervomainsk fired 20 mortar rounds on a Ukrainian security base. Five security service members were wounded.

Pro-Russian troops launched a fresh assault on Donetsk airport at evening, according to local residents.

7 October
Five Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action over the past 24 hours. The Ukrainian military also reported that pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian troops in several locations around eastern Ukraine. In Starohnativka, Donetsk Oblast, the separatists mounted an ambush against a Ukrainian patrol, kiling one soldier and seriously wounding another seven. A second patrol was attacked near the village of Kasyanivka, in the area of Mariupol. One gunman was killed and another wounded at a checkpoint in Marinka, southwest of Donetsk city, after opening fire on Ukrainian security personnel. Ukrainian and pro-Russian troops exchange fire on 12 occasions in the area of Debaltseve, particularly in the Maiorska station and in the town of Popasna, on both sides of the pocket.

The districts of Kondrativka, east of Horlivka, and Kalinin, in the city itself, were hit artillery fire at mid morning.

The rebel attack on Donetsk airport continued relentlessly around the clock. The militias claimed that an ammunitions depot exploded after the terminal was hit by a "massive" artillery bombardment.

Ukrainian media reported that pro-Russian militias were gathering forces in Krasnodon in order to launch an offensive on Shchastya.

A farmer escaped injury when his tractor struck a mine at Belovodskiy, Luhansk Oblast.

8 October
Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 12 wounded over the past 24 hours.

Contact was lost with the town of Popasna at mid morning after several hours of heavy shelling.

According to Dmitry Tymchuk, separatist forces ignored the so-called "silent mode" agreed with the Ukrainian military by firing ten times on Ukrainian positions since the 18:00 hours of 7 October, specially in Trehizbenka, near Shchastya, and Krasnihorivka, Donetsk Oblast.

Separatist sources claimed that their forces were closing the circle around the Ukrainian troops in Debaltseve from the west and northwest. They reported that the rebels are using a 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer captured from the Ukrainian army.

Heavy shelling resumed in Donetsk city at evening, hitting a main water pipeline and cutting off the water supply in the district of Kiev. Several "Grad" rockets also landed on the local train station, and the public transport had to be redirected. Five rockets struck a nearby shopping mall, killing one civilian in the street and leaving dozens wounded.

Pro-Russian militias claimed to have ambushed a large Ukrainian convoy on the Severodonetsk-Novoaydar highway, inflicting heavy human and material losses. The 92nd Ukrainian infantry brigade endured seven hours of heavy shelling in the village of Nyzhnoteple, norheast of Shchastya. The rebels also shelled Shchastya itself and the bridge on the Seversky Donets river. A railway stretch at Slavyanoserbsk was damaged by artillery fire.

Andriy Biletsky, commander of the "Azov" battalion, denounced that separatists grabbed 40 km of land originally intended to serve as a buffer zone between the warring armies.

9 October
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and four wounded overnight. Ukrainian military sources also reported 33 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions, including four mortar strikes on Donetsk airport. Dmitry Tymchuk also recorded separatist activity involving rocket, mortar and small arms fire in the settlements of Shchastya, Chernukhin, Nyzhnoteple, Redkodub, Nikyshyne, Orlovo-Ivanivka, Novoorlivka, Zolote and Zamozhne.

Donetsk's city council said that the toll from the past day shelling had risen to five people dead and 24 wounded.

A group of 50 militiamen launched an assault on a checkpoint in Bohdanivka during the early hours of the morning, but were driven back by Ukrainian troops.

Pro-Russian tanks firing from Vesela Gora set the strategic power station in Shchastya ablaze, wounding one worker and two Ukrainian soldiers and leading to a major black out in several areas of Luhansk Oblast.

10 October
There were no fatalities among the Ukrainian military in the past 24 hours, but seven soldiers were reported wounded by the Ukrainian authorities. The Ukrainian military claimed that their troops beat off a pro-Russian assault on Ukrainian positions at Marloorlivka, in the area of Debaltseve after the militants launched a "Grad" rocket attack. A similar attempt was repelled at Uglegorsk. These sources also reported a rebel attack on Talavnovka, east of Mariupol, and a rebel armoured column moving across the nearby town of Komsomolsk. An anti-tank missile destroyed a Ukrainian tank in Shchastya, and two soldiers were wounded by automatic fire in Stanytsia Luhanska. Ukrainian authorities recorded 35 violations of the truce by the militias overnight, mostly involving the use of mortar and small arms fire.

Shelling in Donetsk city killed three civilian residents and wounded another five. Artillery shells hit the districts of Kuybishev, Kiev and Leninsky. Another civilian was killed and two wounded by mortar fire in the village of Chernukhin by mortar fire.

11 October
One Ukrainian border guard was killed and an undisclosed number of servicemen wounded in the area of operations during the past 24 hours. The guard died in the course of an ambush on a military column near the settlement of Dokuchaievsk. All said, there were 30 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions during the same period, particularly in the areas of Debaltseve and Shchastya, where the militias harassed Ukrainian troops using ZU-23-2 cannon fire and small arms. "Grad" rockets and mortar rounds landed in the northwestern sector of Debaltseve and in the town of Pisky, while a Ukrainian patrol was unsuccessfully ambushed by rebel forces at Avdiivka.

A Ukrainian checkpoint at Stanytsia Luhanska was the target of a mortar strike in the early hours of the morning. Along the day, mortar rounds also landed in Marinka and Hostra Mohyla hill.

Two civilians were killed by artillery fire in the Donetsk city's district of Kuybishev at evening, according to the local city council.

Alexander Zakharchenko, prime minister of the self-styled Donetsk people's republic, announced that the militias will adhere to the "silent mode" agreed on the Minsk talks and will withdraw their heavy weaponry from the buffer zone under OSCE supervision.

12 October
According to Ukrainian authorities there were 35 attacks on Ukrainian troops during the past 24 hours. The strikes involved the use of mortars, artillery multiple rocket launchers, anti-tank weapons and small arms fire. Four soldiers were wounded as a result. Separatist sources claimed that four militiamen and 12 civilians were killed overnight. Another 13 civilian and 12 pro-Russian troops were wounded. Donetsk city council said that four local residents were killed and 11 wounded. Two more civilians were wounded during the day by artillery fire.

At early morning, the town of Pisky was hit by "Grad" rockets, while mortar fire struck Ukrainian positions near the village of Kamyanka. Dmitry Tymchuk reported other five pro-Russian attacks, particularly mortar barrages on Redkodub and Hostra Mohyla hill and "Grad" rocket volleys against Tonen'ke. Also, according to Tymchuk, the militias fired upon civilian areas in Debaltseve and against Ukrainian forces in Donetsk airport. Russian drones were active over the area of Mariupol.

At afternoon, members of a self-dubbed "Army of the Don", who did not follow orders from the Luhansk people's republic and apparently proceeded under their own initiative, launched 20 "Grad" rocket salvos on four Ukrainian checkpoints around Bakhmutka, Luhansk Oblast.

Petro Proshenko, President of Ukraine, accepted the resignation of the Minister of Defense, Valeriy Geletey.

13 October
One Ukrainian soldier was killed in action over the past 24 hours in eastern Ukraine. Military spokesman Andreiy Lysenko reported multiple rocket launcher strikes on Ukrainian positions in five settlements along the Donbass. Pisky, Tonen'ke, Novokalynove, and Mirnaya Dolina were pounded by "Grad" rockets, while the town of Nikyshyne received a barrage of "Uragan" rockets. One civilian died and another was injured when Debaltseve was hit by artillery fire. Meanwhile, Dmitry Tymchuk recorded 50 pro-Russian attacks overnight, including four attacks on Donetsk airport and Hostra Mohyla hill. There were violations of the truce in Chernukhin, Marinka, Popasna and Zamozhne. The militias used mortar, artillery, tank and small arms fire.

During the day, two Ukrainian checkpoints were the target of artillery and mortar fire in Talakovka and the eastern district of Mariupol, according to Ukrainian officials and local residents. The Ukrainian troops returned fire. Vladislav Seleznev said that Ukrainian forces repulsed yet another rebel assault on Donetsk airport. Separatist sources claimed that there were members the Ukrainian army driving three tanks and several armoured vehicles who stormed the part of the airport held by the militias. They said that the assault was beaten off, with the loss of one militiaman. Five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded.

14 October
Seven Ukrainian soldiers died over the last 24 hours in the area of operations, six of them killed by mines and improvised explosive devices. Hennadiy Moskal reported that a daisy-chain explosive device killed two Ukrainian troops and wounded six in the village of Trehizbenka, Luhansk Oblast. Two Ukrainian armoured vehicles were destroyed when pro-Russian forces launched an assault on a checkpoint at Bakhmutka. One officer and two soldiers were wounded. Overall, the militias opened fire on Ukrainian positions 30 times during the past 24 hours.

Seven civilians were killed and 17 wounded in Sartana, northeast of Mariupol, as result of separatist "Grad" rockets fired from the village of Kominternove. The local city council declared 15 October a day of mourning to honour the victims. Artillery fire resumed afternoon against the Ukrainian checkpoint in nearby Talakovka, where several houses were set on fire the day before.

The pro-Russian offensive on the area of Bakhmutka continued during the day, involving the use of tanks, anti-tank missiles and rocket propelled grenades. Three Ukrainian armoured vehicles were knocked down, and Cossack troops ordered a Ukrainian National Guard outpost to surrender, demanding that the guards hand over their positions. One guard was reported killed and five other wounded.

Stepan Poltorak was appointed Minister of Defense by the Ukrainian Parliament.

15 October
Twelve Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action over the past 24 hours. Analyst Dmitry Tymchuk reported more than 40 violations of the truce by pro-Russian forces, specially in the areas of Debaltseve, Donetsk and Mariupol. Ukrainian positions around Debaltseve were targeted by "Grad" rocket fire. Ukrainian troops totaling 112 men from the Ukrainian army and National Guard continued to be besieged around a checkpoint between the villages of Khoroshe and Smile by Cossack forces from the "Army of the Great Don". The Cossacks were equipped with 20 tanks and 24 armoured vehicles. According to Hennadiy Moskal and OSCE officials on the ground, a detachment from the 80 Ukrainian airborne brigade, composed of armoured personnel carriers and tanks, tried to relieve the outpost the day before, but the column was ambushed and at least four of the carriers were lost. Twelve Ukrainian soldiers were wounded or killed in the action, which took place some 3 km from Smile. One Ukrainian tank and two armoured vehicles attempted to evacuate the casualties, but were driven off by the rebels. The evacuation was eventually carry on by OSCE members after talks with pro-Russian representatives. Moskal described the situation of the outpost as "critical" and stated that a number of wounded or traumatized servicemen were taken prisoners, among them a battalion's commander.

After a night of heavy mortar and artillery shelling, the Ukrainian army beat off another rebel assault on Donetsk airport.

Two transmission towers were damaged as result of the fighting on Bakhmutka road.

16 October
Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and nine wounded in action over the past 24 hours in the Donbass region. The Ukrainian military also said that pro-Russian forces shelled Sartana and Talakovka, northeast of Mariupol, with 120mm mortars and "Grad" multiple rocket launchers. "Grad" rockets also landed in the village of Chernukhin, in the area of Debaltseve. One soldier died and five were wounded around Smile, where the Ukrainian army and the National Guard were fighting maverick pro-Russian troops besieging a checkpoint. Eight Ukrainian positions between Zolote and Khoroshe were pounded by artillery and mortar fire. One Ukrainian T-64 tank and a "Ural" truck were destroyed. Analyst Dmitry Tymchuk claimed that the rebels opened fire 40 times on Ukrainian troops overnight. Six of the incidents occurred in the village of Redkodub, near Debaltseve. Ukrainian military officials also reported attacks on Hranitne, Nikyshyne, Debaltseve and Avdiivka.

During the day, the Ukrainian military announced that their forces relieved the besieged outpost south of Smile, and that the separatists were forced to withdraw. They acknowledged, however, that the situation there continued to be "tense". At evening, fresh pro-Russian shelling was reported in the area, particularly on Smile and Frunze.

The militias resumed their daily attacks on Donetsk airport using tanks, mortars and ZU-23-2 antiaircraft cannons. "Grad" rockets were fired at Ukrainian positions in Komuna, in the western outskirts of Debaltseve.

Separatist sources claimed that Ukrainian shelling on Donetsk city killed two civilians last night. Another civilian fatality was reported during the fighting south of Smile.

Ukrainian army published alleged maps and documents from military unit 7426 from Pskov. Specifically soldiers Korolenko and Kishatkin were found in these documents, the same whose secret burials in Pskov caused first media inquries about Russian soldiers involvement in Donbass. The documents contained details of their dislocation to Donbass and daily log entries that end on 12 August, alleged date of their death.

17 October
Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and ten wounded in action over the last 24 hours. Pro-Russian militias opened fire on Ukrainian positions 50 times during the same period using artillery, multiple rocket launchers, tanks, mortars and small arms, according to Dmitry Tymchuk. Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko recorded attacks on Ukrainian troops in 19 settlements around the Donbass region, and confirmed the loss of a Ukrainian tank and two armoured personnel carriers during the battle for Smile.

During the day the militias opened fire on Ukrainian security forces in the villages of Pisky, Redkodub and Hostra Mohyla hill. Trehizbenka was hit by "Grad" rocket fire. Clashes were reported near Debaltseve and Lysychansk, while tanks and self-propelled artillery pounded Donetsk airport. Four Russian drones were spotted by Ukrainian border guards in the Donbass region, two of them over the villages of Sartana and Shyrokyno, near Mariupol.

Russian police in Budennovsk detained 73-years old, Lyudmila Bogatenkova, head of local Committee of Soldiers' Mothers. Bogatenkova recently investigated deaths of Russian soldiers in Donbass and published instructions for conscripts how to avoid being forcefully sent to fight in Donbass.

18 October
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and three wounded in action during the past 24 hours. Pro-Russian forces fired upon Ukrainian positions on 38 occasions according to Ukrainian officials, including an attempt to overrun Donetsk airport. The attacks took place in eight different locations across the region.

During the day, pro-Russian militias opened fire on Ukrainian troops in Debaltseve, Nikyshyne, Hostra Mohyla hill and Avdiivka. In the case of Avdiivka, residential areas were hit by mortar rounds fired from the neighborhood of Spartak.

Hennady Moskal announced that Ukrainian forces took back the village of Krymsky, Luhansk Oblast "without firing a shot".

In the area of Smile, two Ukrainian servicemen were wounded in a renewed pro-Russian assault on a security checkpoint. The attack was beaten off after a four-hour battle. Earlier, the Ukrainian military acknowledged that 11 soldiers were missing after the beginning of the pro-Russian offensive on 15 October. The sources claimed that they knew the whereabouts of two of the troops. It was later learned that the missing were members of the "Aidar" battalion and that six of the men were recovered by friendly forces.

19 October
Thirteen Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action in the past 24 hours. No fatalities were reported. Pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian troops 50 times during the same period. Shelling was reported on Ukrainian checkpoints and observation points near the settlements of Stanytsia Luhanska, Vilkhove, Krasnohorivka, Pisky, Nevelsky, and Nikyshyne. Hostra Mohyla hil and the villages of Orlov-Ivanivka and Maiorsk were attacked twice, and in the course of the night there was another separatist assault on Donetsk airport. Tonen'ke, Nykolaiivka and Novobakhmutivka were hit by "Grad" rockets. The battle for the checkpoint in Smile left one rebel tank and other equipment destroyed when a Ukrainian army relief column reached the besieged garrison.

Pro-Russian militias launched a fresh attack on Donetsk airport during the morning.

The city council of Donetsk announced that four civilians were killed and nine seriously wounded after heavy shelling hit the districts of Kiev, Petrovsky, Kuibysheb and Kirov. One chemical dump was obliterated, one school damaged and a transformer and several pipelines were hit. During the day, several areas of the city were without electricity supply after renewed bombardment.

In the area of Smile fierce fighting was reported by both sides. Ukrainian media said that the rebels attempted to erect a blockroad and ambushed supply convoys to the Ukrainian checkpoints in the zone. At evening, the militias launched an offensive supported by tanks. Some 200 Ukrainian troops were surrounded by pro-Russian forces according to the separatists.

20 October
At least four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action over the past 24 hours. Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko acknowledged that the exact number of casualties was still not available. Military sources on the ground suggested the final toll around Smile could be "dozens" of deaths. The rebels fired "Grad" rockets on Ukrainian troops in Redkodub, Tonen'ke, Novobakhmutivaka, Nykolaiivka, Yunokomunarivsk and near Kamyanka. The separatists also fired on the villages of Mius and Trehizbenka. Dmitry Tymchuk, meanwhile, recorded 60 attacks by pro-Russian forces against Ukrainian positions overnight. According to Ukrainian military sources, the rebel militias lost 14 men, one tank, one self-propelled howitzer and one self-propelled mortar. Separatist sources reported eight civilians killed and 39 wounded as a consequence of the shelling around the Donbass region. They claimed that there were 25 ceasefire violations by Ukrainian forces in the past 24 hours, and that four militiamen lost their lives.

A huge explosion rocked a rubber factory in the rebel capital of Donetsk, sending shockwaves over a radius of several kilometers. Artillery rockets were fired from the city shortly after.

Pro-Russian militias attempted to storm Donetsk airport on two occasions during the day. Shelling was also reported on Ukrainian positions in Malohorlivka, Nikyshyne, Kamyanka, Redkodub and Avdiivka. "Grad" rockets landed in Novotroiske, and the Ukrainian checkpoints at Horlivka's reservoir and Mohyla Hostra were targeted by mortar fire. Pro-Russian militias attempted to storm Ukrainian positions in Ozeryanovky, but were driven off.

21 October
Four Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the area of operations over the past 24 hours according to the Ukrainian military. Sources from the Donetsk people's republic claimed that five militiamen and seven civilian were killed around Donetsk in the same period.

Last night pro-Russian forces in Vesela Gora fired grenade launchers, mortars and artillery on the village of Stari Aidar, in the outskirts of Shchastya. Trehizbenka was also attacked by members of the "Army of the Don", while the Ukrainian outpost in Smile was the target of "Grad" rocket fire. Ukrainian sources on the ground said that this was part of an attempt to besiege the Ukrainian military in the area. Ukrainian troops in Mariupol opened antiaircraft fire at a drone.

During the day the Ukrainian military reported that the situation was calm in Luhansk Oblast and southern Donetsk, but the Ukrainian positions around Debaltseve and Donetsk airport received heavy fire.

Human Rights Watch accused the Ukrainian army of using banned cluster ammunition in their operations in the Donbass. Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko dissmised the report, putting the blame instead on pro-Russian "misinformation".

22 October
Five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action over the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian military reported. Analyst Dmitry Tymchuk said that although the militias activity diminished overnight, there were 30 attacks on Ukrainian positions. Spokesman Andriy Lysenko reported artillery attacks on Krasnohorivka, Pisky, Tonen'ke, Novobakhmutivka and Nykolaiivka. Pro-Russian tanks, supported by artillery and small arms launched three assaults on a Ukrainian checkpoint at Maloorlivka. Ukrainian troops near Smile were targeted by mortar fire on three occasions. Local authorities in Donetsk said that one civilian was killed and five wounded in the course of heavy shelling on the districts of Kiev and Kirov in the same period.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced that they still unknown the whereabouts of five of the soldiers who went missing on 16 October, during the pro-Russian offensive on Smile. Three armoured carriers they were riding on were destroyed in combat.

During the day the situation was quiet in Luhansk Oblast, but continued to be tense elsewhere. Pro-Russian militias attempted to storm the control tower in Donetsk airport, supported by a multiple grenade launchers. The assault was repelled after a 30-minute battle. There were two "Grad" rocket strikes on Ukrainian positions around Starohnativka, and mortar attacks on Pavlopil and Zamozhne. A Ukrainian checkpoint at Krasnohorivka was also fired at. Authorities denied earlier information about a "Grad" attack on Popasna which resulted in civilian casualties.

23 October
The Ukrainian military reported that one of its soldiers was killed and two others wounded in action over the last 24 hours. Analyst Dmitry Tymchuk recorded 30 attacks on Ukrainian positions on the same period, including "Grad" rocket strikes on the areas of Nykolaiivka and Debaltseve. The Ukrainian serviceman killed in action died when rebel militias attempted to cross the river Kalmius at Pyshchevik. The separatists were driven off by the Ukrainian army. Another soldier was wounded when the checkpoint he was manning in Luhansk Oblast was hit by gunfire.

Artillery fire was heard by local residents in the Donetsk districts of Voroshilov, Kalinin, Kiev and Kuibyshev in the afternoon. Two huge explosions rocked the city, one of them near a chemical plant, the other between Donetsk and Makiivka.

Pro-Russian forces fired mortar rounds and "Grad" rockets from the village of Yelenivka on Ukrainian checkpoints in the outskirts of Mariupol, particularly on Novotroitske.

Separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko claimed his forces will retake the territory it had lost to Ukrainian forces in the July 2014 post-ceasefire Ukrainian offensive; in reply Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated territory under separatist control would once again come under Ukrainian control and also stated that the situation in Donbass "won't be a frozen conflict because Donbass won't survive without Ukraine". Soon thereafter Zakharchenko stated he had been misquoted and that he had been trying to say that the territory would be retaken through "peaceful means".

24 October
Eight Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action over the past 24 hours in the Donbass region. At early morning, four servicemen were injured when the vehicle they were riding on was hit by mortar fire at a military checkpoint near the village of Berezove, 30 kilometers southwest of Donetsk city. The Ukrainian military said that the militias attempted to storm the outpost, but were beaten off and suffered casualties.

At dawn pro-Russian forces launched "Grad" rockets on Donetsk airport's control tower on two occasions. No casualties were reported.

The villages of Pavlopil and Kominterovo, northeast of Mariupol, were pounded with artillery fire by pro-Russian militias. A Ukrainian officer on the ground suggested that this could be the prelude to an offensive on the area.

Shelling resumed at evening on the northern part of Donetsk city. A chemical plant was set on fire after being hit by an artillery round.

25 October
Ten Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action over the last 24 hours. The map released by the National Security Council for the same period showed military activity in Debaltseve, Uglegorsk, Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Maiorsk, Yasinuvata, Svetlodarsk, Patriotychne and Kolesnikovka, where a border guard outpost was attacked by snipers.

Two civilian residents were reported killed by separatist authorities the day before in Donetsk city by artillery fire, among them an ederly woman. There were eight wounded. The shelling hit the districts of Kuibyshev and Petrovsky.

26 October
One Ukrainian soldier died in a non-combat related incident and three were wounded in action over the last 24 hours in the Donbass region. Dmitry Tymchuk reported 15 attacks on Ukrainian positions during the same period, specially on Debaltseve, Nikyshyne, Zolote, Chernukhin and Avdiivka. Ukrainian troops around Donetsk airport was targeted by mortar fire. The Ukrainian National Security Council recorded a total of 18 incidents.

During the day, separatist media claimed that tanks from the Ukrainian National Guard stationed at the village of Shumy fired on pro-Russian troops entrenched in the western area of the city of Horlivka. They also reported clashes and artillery fire near Olkhovatka, Krasnohorivka, Novomyhailivka, Buhas, Novotroitske, Nykolaevka and Torez. According to the same sources, one civilian was killed and four wounded by Ukrainian fire at Hostra Mohyla hill, and another civilian was injured when "Grad" rockets landed in Yasinuvata. Ukrainian officials said that a border guard outpost at Kamyshnaya was fired on with small arms fire by unknown attackers. The Ukrainian army was preparing an operation to relieve checkpoint № 32 near Smile, which was reportedly isolated by pro-Russian troops and short of water and other supplies. Ukrainian troops beat off a pro-Russian assault on their positions in Novolaspa, north of Mariupol. At evening, local residents in Shchastya witnessed pro-Russian artillery and small arms fire.

Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in the frontlines were able to vote in the first parliamentary election since the fall of Victor Yanukovich. A number of servicemen, however, had not that opportunity because the lack of polling stations, like in Pisky, or in Schastia, where the level of separatist intimidation and fresh attacks forced the local authorities to cancel the election.

27 October
Two Ukrainian troops were killed and an undisclosed number wounded over the past 24 hours in eastern Ukraine. The soldiers died when the armoured personnel carrier they were riding on struck a landmine. The vehicle was part of an armoured column sent to relieve checkpoint № 32 near Smile. Dmitry Tymchuk reported 20 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions during the last day in Nikyshyne, Avdiivka, Bogdanovka, Hranitne, Novolaspa, Lomakin, Chernukhin and Donetsk airport. Nikyshyne and the nearby village of Mius were hit by "Grad" rockets.

The town of Volnovakha was shelled during the early hours of the morning, and the local electoral commission was forced to discontinue the ballot recount.

At dawn, shelling in the area of Donetsk airport resumed. Pro-Russian forces fired mortar rounds on Avdiivka and later launched "Grad" rockets on the terminal itself. The village of Tonen'ke was also attacked. The rocket barrage on the airfield intensified during the late evening, according to witnesses on the ground.

Near Mariupol, separatist forces attacked the villages of Talakovka, Pavlopil and Hnutove with mortar and tank fire at daybreak. Ukrainian military sources claimed that a rebel tank was knocked down. Several residential buildings in the area were destroyed.

During the day, the Ukrainian army evacuated checkpoint № 32, carrying all their equipment with them. The checkpoint, near the village of Smile, had been surrounded by pro-Russian militias since mid-October. The relief column which carried out the rescue also recovered the remains of at least four soldiers killed in action. The Ukrainian military later acknowledged that ten soldiers had died in the outpost since September, and that "several others" were still missing.

One Ukrainian soldier was killed by sniper fire in Stanytsia Luhanska.

28 October
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and two others wounded over the last 24 hours. According to analyst Dmitry Tymchuk, pro-Russian forces launched 40 attacks on Ukrainian positions in the same period. The militias opened fire with multiple rocket launchers, artillery, tanks, mortars and small arms. Most of the incidents took place around Mariupol, Donetsk and Debaltseve. Separatist sources reported that Ukrainian artillery from Avdiivka and Pisky bombarded the outskirts of Donetsk airport and the nearby housing state of Spartak.

Rebel activity continued during the day around Mariupol. Mortar and small arms fire was heard from the direction of the separatist-held village of Sahanka in the afternoon, but Mariupol itself was not attacked. Pro-Russian tanks shelled Ukrainian positions in Pavlopil, and artillery rounds fell on Hnuvote at evening.

29 October
One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action overnight, and pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 30 occasions during the same period. There were combat incidents at Donetsk airport, Nikyshyne, Malohorlivka, Chernukhin, Zolote, Maiorsk, Nykolaivka, Hranitne, Mius, Hnutove and Pavlopil. Separatist media reported two civilian residents killed and seven wounded as a result of the shelling of Spartak the day before.

In the course of the day, pro-Russian artillery pounded Ukrainian troops entrenched in the outskirts of Mariupol. Ukrainian media claimed that a major from a marine's unit from Feodosia was killed and other three servicemen severely wounded when D-30 howitzer rounds and "Grad" rockets landed on their underground shelter.

In the village of Toshkovka, Luhansk Oblast, artillery fire destroyed the local school, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Heavy shelling rocked the area around Debaltseve, specially the villages of Novohryhorivka and Komuna. In the villages of Zaitseve, Novoluhansk, Luhansk and Kodema, southeast of Artemivsk, mobile commucations were shut off.

A group of Ukrainian volunteers was captured by pro-Russian scouts between Artemivsk and Kramatorsk, well inside Ukrainian-controlled territory.

30 October
Seven Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and 11 wounded over the past 24 hours in the Donbass region. There were 40 attacks on Ukrainian troops by pro-Russian forces during the same period, and clashes were reported around the villages of Petrivske and Krimsky. Ukrainian checkpoints near Novomihailovka, Tonen'ke, Zolote, Malohorlivka and Debaltseve were the target of "Grad" rockets, mortar and artillery fire. Ukrainian forces in Donetsk airport, Horlivka, Sanzharivka, Berezove, Maiorsk and Slavne were pounded with tank, mortar, artillery and "Grad" rocket fire, according to military officials. Three Ukrainian soldiers died and one was wounded during an ambush in Petrivske.

Talakovka, in the outskirts of Mariupol, was hit by "Grad" rockets and 155-mm artillery fire in the course of the day. The situation was tense around Ukrainian checkpoint No. 31 near Frunze. Persistent shelling on the Ukrainian lines was reported on the settlements of Uglegorsk, Chernukhin, Mius, Krimsky and Trehizbenka. "Grad" rockets landed on Avdiivka, Donetsk airport, Kirov and Kirove.

31 October
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and four wounded overnight in eastern Ukraine. There were 45 violations of the ceasefire reported by the Ukrainian side in the same period. Pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions in Nikyshyne, Olkhovatka and Nikolaevka. "Grad" rockets provoked destruction in the area of Debaltseve.

Mortar fire continued at early morning in the area of Nikolaevka, east of Volhonava. At dawn, Ukrainian positions in Novoselivka, near Troitske, were attacked by pro-Russian militias using mortar and small arms. The Ukrainian army returned fire. Small arms and artillery fire was also heard from the direction of Kominternove, east of Mariupol, well inside separatist-held territory.

In the course of the day the village of Hranitne was pounded with mortar fire by separatist troops. The rebels also shelled the Ukrainian lines at Chernukhin, Orlov-Ivanovka and Novohryhorivka. Ukrainian checkpoints along the route of Bakhmutka were targeted by mortar and artillery fire. The Ukrainian military claimed that a 155-mm howitzer was firing on them from the center of the town of Stakhanov.

A car bomb went off as a Ukrainian border guard patrol passed by in the area of Baranikovka, Luhansk Oblast, just 30 meters from the border with Russia. One Ukrainian border guard was killed instantly by the blast.

The commanders of the "Azov" and "Donbass" battalions, Andriy Bielecki and Semen Semenchenko warned against a militias' feint around Mariupol in order to draw the attention from an offensive on the coastal town of Berdiansk to the west. The capture of Berdiansk would leave the whole Mariupol area surrounded by pro-Russian forces.

1 November
Six Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and ten wounded over the past 24 hours in the Donbass region. At the same time, pro-Russian forces carried out 37 attacks on Ukrainian troops. The bus station of Shchastya and the bridge over the river Seversky Donets were fired at with small arms and multiple grenade launchers. Novomyhailovki, Debaltseve and Pavlopil were the target of mortar and automatic fire. The villages of Hirske and Zolote were struck by mortar rounds, while two houses were damaged in Krimsky. All said, seven settlements were shelled by the separatists.

At mid-morning residential areas of Krimsky were heavily damaged by "Grad" rockets and mortar fire, while Ukrainian positions along Bakhmutka road were pounded with multiple rocket launchers and artillery. One Ukrainian soldier died and three were wounded. Checkpoint No. 31, north of Frunze, was surrounded by 1,000 pro-Russian militants. In the area of Horlivka, pro-Russian tanks opened fire on Maiorsk, injuring other three Ukrainian soldiers. There was sporadic shelling on Chernukhin and Mariupol. In Mariupol, Ukrainian tanks returned fire on rebel positions and successfully engaged enemy tanks, according to Ukrainian sources on the field.

The Ukrainian military claimed that their forces occupied the strategic hill of Heivka, northwest of Shchastya.

2 November
Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and seven wounded in the last 24 hours. Separatists troops opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 28 occasions during the same period. Heavy shelling resumed on Krimsky, where the rebels used "Grad" rockets. Novolaspa, Hranitne, Chernukhin and Maiorsk were also hit by heavy fire.

In the first hours of the morning "Grad" rockets landed in the village of Hirske, north of Pervomaisk. A pipeline and a sanatorium were damaged at Krimsky as a consequence of the last two days of shelling.

A Ukrainian checkpoint near Mariupol was rocked by the explosion of a car bomb at dawn. Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and another wounded. The explosive device was triggered by remote control.

Civilian residences at Chernukhin and Ukrainian strong points at Bakhmutka road, Orlivske and Pavlopil were hit by mortar fire.

Ukrainian media claimed that Ukrainian paratroopers stormed and recaptured the upper floor of Donetsk airport's new terminal.

Elections for executive and legislative offices were held in separatist-controlled areas. The poll was not recognized as legal by both Ukraine and the European Union. Earlier, Russia vetoed a United Nations document condemning the elections and eventually endorsed the legality of the vote.

3 November
The Ukrainian military reported no casualties in the area of operations overnight. Pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian troops decreased during the same period, with 15 incidents involving mortars and artillery and one car bomb strike on a checkpoint. The main activity took place around the villages of Krimsky, Stari Aidar, Pavlopil, Orlivske, Cherekovka, the town of Debaltseve, Donetsk airport and Bakhmutka road.

Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action in the course of the day, when pro-Russian forces resumed the shelling of areas controlled by the Ukrainian army. According to Ukrainian reports, the airport of Donetsk and the villages of Hranitne and Krimsky were again pounded by mortar fire and "Grad" rockets. Rebel troops, supported by tanks, attempted to storm a checkpoint at Ozeryanivka, near Horlivka, but were fought off with the loss of four militants killed, one prisoner and a light vehicle destroyed. There was fighting also around checkpoint No. 31 on Bakhmutka road. Pro-Russian troops issued an ultimatum to "give up their weapons" to the Ukrainian servicemen manning the outpost, followed by a mortar attack on the position. The Ukrainian army fired artillery rounds in response.

Civilian residences were heavy damaged by artillery fire in the district of Kuibysheb, Donetsk city.

4 November
Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action in the area of operations overnight. In the same period, pro-Russian troops opened fire 20 times on Ukrainian positions, specially on the checkpoints No. 31 and № 38 along Bakhmutka road, on Donetsk airport, Hranitne and Hirske. In Luhansk Oblast there were artillery fire and "Grad" rockets attacks on Stanytsia Luhanska, Shchastya, Hirske, Zolote, Trehizbenka, Krimsky and Novotoshkovka.

During the day, pro-Russian troops opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 33 occasions. One Ukrainian soldier was killed an five wounded. The main activity developed around Debaltseve, where Ukrainian outposts at Chernukhin, Mius, Nikyshyne, Redkodub and Hostra Mohyla hill were targeted by the militias. The Ukrainian serviceman killed in action died in Pavlopil, northeast of Mariupol, where rebel tanks fired on Ukrainian forces from residential areas, according to the official Ukrainian report. Mortar and small arms fire fire also hit the village of Talakovka, while separatist forces shelled the Ukrainian lines from the hamlet of Tavryches'ke.

5 November
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and nine wounded over the past 24 hours. Analyst Dmitry Tymchuk recorded 40 violations of the truce by pro-Russian forces during the same time, specially around Debaltseve and Donetsk city. Military officials claimed that the rebels fired on Ukrainian troops in Nikyshyne, Cherenukhin, Hranitne, Starohnativka, Novohryhorivka, Novolaspa and Donetsk airport. A Ukrainian soldier was wounded by an anti-tank missile at Berezove. Local authorities in Donetsk city reported one civilian killed and four wounded as a consequence of heavy shelling overnight on the districts of Kiev and Kuibyshev. The OSCE mission dennounced that the control signal of one of its drones was jammed twice while flying over Chermalik, 40 km northeast of Mariupol. This is the second incident of this kind since 29 October.

Five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded during the day when pro-Russian forces opened fire on their positions with artillery, mortar and sniper fire. There were a total of 17 attacks on Ukrainian positions. The incidents took place around the villages of Starohnativka, Hranitne, Chermalik, Uglegorsk, Pisky, Avdiivka and Bakhmutka road.

Two football playing teenagers were killed in Donetsk city and at least four wounded. Amnesty International published a statement, according to which the deaths of two children killed by shelling while they played football on a school playing field in Donetsk, not far from airport, must be immediately, fully and impartially investigated. Ukrainian media published analysis showing that the shell was fired from the direction of separatist forces, not Ukrainian army. OSCE observers on the site however came to a conclusion that "all of these were fired from a location north-west of the football pitch and were the result of high-angle fire" based on the analysis of craters.

6 November
Nine Ukrainian soldiers were wounded over the past 24 hours. Separatist troops fired 15 times on Ukrainian positions at the same time, using "Grad" rockets, artillery and small arms fire. "Grad" rockets landed around Ukrainian forces stationed in hirsky and Zolote, while the militias fired at Ukrainian outpost near Debaltseve, Chernukhin and Horlivka. There was heavy shelling on Novokalynove, north of Avdiivka, and sniper fire in areas controlled by the Ukrainian army in Pisky. The Ukrainian checkpoint at Krimsky, on Bakhmutka road, was subjected to artillery fire.

Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and another four were wounded during day as pro-Russian forces clashed with Ukrainian troops on 26 occasions. One of the fatalities was a paratrooper killed when rebel militias fired a T-12 antitank gun on Donetsk airport. The separatists also fired "Grad" rockets on Tonen'ke and Orlovka and artillery on Putilovsk bridge, near Donetsk city. Residential areas of Chernukhin were hit by mortar rounds. Avdiivka and Pisky were also the target of mortar fire. Along Bakhmutka road, a pontoon bridge over the river Seversky Donets was attacked. The Ukrainian military denied allegations by separatist sources that they had launched a new offensive in eastern Ukraine.

7 November
Five Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and 16 wounded over the past 24 hours. Military analyst Dmitry Tymchuk recorded 49 rebel attacks on Ukrainian troops during the same period, specially around Debaltseve, Donetsk, Pervomaisk and Luhansk Oblast. There were clashes around Nikyshyne and Chernukhin, whose capture by the militias would be key to isolate Debaltseve.

Thirteen Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the course of the day, when pro-Russian troops opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 25 occasions. The militias used "Grad" multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortar fire. Debaltseve and Bakhmutka road were the areas where the fighting was more intense. The numbers increased to 22 soldiers wounded in 32 attacks by evening. Checkpoint No. 31, on Bakhmutka road, was shelled three times by pro-Russian forces. There was fighting also around Donetsk city, Horlivka and Avdiivka.

Ukraine's military accused Russia of sending a column of 32 tanks, 16 howitzers and 30 truckloads of troops into the country's east to support pro-Russian separatists fighting government forces. The convoy allegedly headed towards the rebel-held city of Krasnyi Luch. A NATO military officer said on Friday the alliance had seen an increase in Russian troops and equipment along the border and was looking into reports of Russian tanks crossing into eastern Ukraine.

8 November
Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 15 wounded in action over the past 24 hours. One of the dead was a paratrooper killed by sniper fire in Donetsk airport. Military analyst Dmitry Tymchuk recorded 40 violations of the truce by pro-Russian troops overnight.

Sources from the Ukrainian Minister of Defence announced that a group of Ukrainian officers and soldiers were captured in recent days by the separatists while under a flag of truce near Nikyshyne. They were negotiating the exchange of prisoners.

During the day, two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in battle against pro-Russian forces and other two were wounded near the village of Nevels'ke, northwest of Donetsk city. The Ukrainian military claimed that the militias were repulsed with heavy casualties.

According to Radio Liberty, Associated Press reporters saw more than 80 unmarked military vehicles on the move in Eastern Ukraine, two convoys near Donetsk, one near Snizhne. OSCE observers have seen 40 trucks moving west on highway H-21, out of which 19 were Kamaz trucks without number plates towing 122 mm howitzers, 15 Kraz troop carriers and the rest were tankers. There was also one BTR. Later the observers also saw a convoy of nine tanks (four T72 and five T64) moving into Donetsk from south-west.

9 November
Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in action over the past 24 hours. The Ukrainian military reported 25 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions during the night. The main incidents took place in Maiorsk, Zolote, Olenivka, and Hostra Mohyla hill. On Bakhmutka road, the separatists used mortar and small arms to harass the Ukrainian troops, shifting their firing positions regularly. Around Donetsk airport the militias fired heavy artillery on Orlivka, Tonen'ke and Pesky. The northern operatonal command of the Ukrainian army announced that their forces fought off a pro-Russian tank assault on a Ukrainian checkpoint. Four Ukrainian soldiers were wounded. The separatists fired on Ukrainian troops in several locations using "Grad" rockets, mortars, multiple grenade launchers and small arms.

Shelling was resumed in Donetsk city. According to an eyewitness the overnight shelling, that lasted almost eight hours, was the worst in more than a month. A day earlier monitors spotted a large number of military vehicles in rebel areas.

Fresh fighting was reported during the day. Pro-Russian troops opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 33 occasions, killing one civilian, two policemen and wounding three Ukrainian soldiers. The civilian killed was a resident of Pavlopil, north of Mariupol. The rebels used "Grad" rockets, artillery and mortar fire. Snipers were active in Shchastya. Ukrainian outposts were also targeted around Debaltseve in the villages of Chernukhin, Olkhovatka, Mius, Redkodub and Nikyshyne. Artillery and mortar rounds hit Avdiivka, Pisky, Slavne and Tonen'ke. A Ukrainian armoured personnel carrier was destroyed by mortar and tank fire at Trehizbenka, on the river Seversky Donets.

OSCE observed two military convoys east of Donetsk, moving east. One convoy was seen 15 km east of Donetsk in Sverdlove and consisted of 17 trucks towing "Grad" launchers and ammunition crates. Second convoy was seen on H-21 highway 41 km east of Donetsk in Zuhres and consisted of 17 trucks towing 122 mm howitzers (according to Ukrainian media the convoy was filmed on Russian side of the border the day before).

10 November
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and five wounded over the past 24 hours. Dmitry Tymchuk reported 65 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions, particularly in the area of Debaltseve. The separatists opened fire on the villages of Olkhovatka, Mius, Chernukhin, Nikyshyne, Redkodub, Leninsky, Trehizbenka and Pisky.

Military spokesman Vladislav Seleznev recorded 13 incidents in which rebel militias fired on Ukrainian troops In the morning. The area of Debaltseve continued to be the main hotspot, with shelling on Ukrainian roadblocks and observation posts. The Ukrainian army returned fire. There was artillery and mortar fire on locations around Donetsk airport like Hranitne, Krasnohorivka and Pisky. "Grad" rockets landed in Trehizbenka and Kryakivka, and a checkpoint on Bakhmutka road was sprayed with automatic fire.

During the day, a Ukrainian soldier and three civilian were killed in Avdiivka as a result of heavy shelling from rebel-held areas near Donetsk city. The regional government of Donetsk said that the villages of Kommuna and Novohrygorivka and the surrounding rural areas were under continue shelling from pro-Russian artillery. The situation was also tense in Zaitseve, Novoluhanske, Kodema, Klynove and Luhanske, where the mobile network had been cut off for weeks.

11 November
Five Ukrainian soldiers were killed and ten wounded over the last 24 hours. There were 30 attacks on Ukrainian troops around the Donbass region, according to Dmitry Tymchuk's daily report. The main incidents took place in Debaltseve, Chernukhin, Krimsky, Zolote, Berezove, Donetsk airport and Luhanske. Tymchuk also denounced a rebel military build-up involving tanks and artillery around key areas like Stanytsia Luhanska, Olenivka, Telmanovo, Novoazovsk and Kominternovo.

Four Ukrainian soldiers were wounded when pro-Russian troops opened fire on Ukrainian positions in 30 occasions in the course of the day. The attacks focused on Bakhmutka road and the airport of Donetsk. Mortars and "Grad" rockets were fired on the villages of Krimsky, Gorny, Kryakivka, Sokolniki and Trehizbenka. At noon, a Ukrainian outpost in Chermalik, on the left bank of the river Kalmius, was hit by mortar fire. One soldier was seriously wounded. Rebel tanks fired upon Ukrainian troops in Maiorsk, but were repelled with several losses, according to Ukrainian officials.

12 November
One Ukrainian soldier was killed in action and other five wounded overnight. According to Dmitry Tymchuk, rebel forces fired on Ukrainian positions 50 times over the past 24 hours. The villages of Krimsky, Luhanske, Chernukhin, Avdiivka, Zaitseve, Novomihaylovka, Shchastya, Nikyshyne and Donetsk airport were shelled repeatedly.

Heavy artillery fire continued to pound and rock the major eastern city of Donetsk early in the morning.

One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another injured north of Luhansk, near the city of Shchastya, when rebels launched an offensive with artillery support on government troops stationed near the town. Ukrainian officials later reported one soldier killed and four wounded across the day. The statement also recorded 15 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions along Bakhmutka road. Donetsk airport, Hranitne and Krimsky were also hit by mortar and artillery fire.

Ukrainian border guards at Milove, Luhansk Oblast, returned fire after being fired at with a multiple grenade launcher by militiamen close to the border with Russia. Another border patrol was the target of small arms fire in Kurakhovo, west of Donetsk city.

There were also reports, later confirmed by satellite imagery and analysis from NATO officials, that Russian howitzers, tanks, artillery and aircraft defence SAM systems had crossed the border from Russia into Ukraine and that there were even reported sightings of 'Russian combat troops' according to U.S. General Philip Breedlove, although these accusations were denied by the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) mission also reported seeing scores of unmarked military convoys crossing the Ukrainian border in recent days

A Reuters reporter saw unidentified military trucks in the centre of Donetsk city, with soldiers in green uniform without insignia standing nearby. Similar vehicles, including unmarked "Grad" launchers, were seen in Russia moving towards the Ukrainian border.

13 November
Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 19 wounded over the past 24 hours. Rebel militias attacked Ukrainian positions and settlements 44 times in the same period. The main activity took place in Luhansk Oblast, where pro-Russian troops fired "Grad" rockets, mortars and small arms on the villages of Luhanske, Olkhovatka, Shchastya, Kryakivka, Stari Aidar and Artema. At Sokilnyky, the Ukrainian military claimed that they beat off a rebel assault on Ukrainian positions. Mortar and small arms fire was also fired upon Ukrainian troops stationed at Pisky and Nikolaevka. Outposts around Debaltseve were racked by gunfire, while mortar rounds landed in Kamenka and Pavlopil. The Ukrainian forces returned fire, silencing one enemyposition.

In the course of the day, pro-Russian forces opened fire on 24 occasions with mortars and artillery on Ukrainian troops. There were attacks on Ukrainian outposts in Krasnohorivka, Uglegorsk, Nikyshyne, Mius, Chernukhin and Zolote. On Bakhmutka road, "Grad" rockets and mortar rounds landed around No. 31 and  No. 37 checkpoints and other Ukrainian strongholds. A Ukrainian military convoy was ambushed by militiamen near Stanytsia Luhanska with heavy machine guns, multiple grenade launchers and sniper fire. Five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded.

14 November
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and six wounded over the past 24 hours. Overnight, there were attacks by pro-Russian rebels on the villages of Nikyshyne, Maius, Chernukhin and Stanytsia Luhanska near the town of Debaltseve with artillery and howitzers throughout the morning and in the early part of Friday afternoon. Analyst Dmytro Tymchuk recorded 50 violations of the truce by separatist militias, and claimed that two rebel firing positions were destroyed near Donetsk airport, one at Spartak and the other between Pisky and Krasnohorivka. There were also unconfirmed reports of Russian journalists who came under fire and were being attacked and detained near the city of Donetsk.

Other four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and five more wounded in the course of the day. According to the Ukrainian military, the situation was deteriorating across the region. Pro-Russian forces concentrated their activity around the Debaltseve salient, where heavy shelling was reported in the villages of Chernukhin, Zolote, Nikyshyne, Hirsky and Olkhovatka. Intense fighting was reported in the area of Orlov-Ivanivka, while the airport of Donetsk was assaulted twice during the day. Ukrainian officials reported the death of ten militants. There was harassing fire on Ukrainian checkpoints and positions on Bakhmutka road, were the situation was described as "tense". The villages of Sokilnyky, Trehizbenka, Donetsky, Luhanske, Stanytsia Luhanska and Vilkhove were rocked by rebel shelling.

15 November
Ten Ukrainian soldiers and at least nine civilians were reported killed as result of hostile activity over the past 24 hours, while ten soldiers and twelve civilians were wounded. The Ukrainian military recorded 62 attacks on Ukrainian positions and three engagements with pro-Russian forces during the same period. Most of the incidents occurred in the area of Debaltseve, where mortar fire struck the villages of Kamyanka, Nikyshyne and Debaltseve itself. Mortar rounds also landed in Hranitne and Doslidne. Krimsky was the target of "Grad" rockets and several Ukrainian outposts were racked by gunfire in Stanytsia Luhanska.

Separatist sources claimed that their troops destroyed one tank and five armoured personnel carriers in Donetsk airport.

16 November
Six Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action over the last 24 hours in the operational area. The Ukrainian military reported 26 attacks on Ukrainian positions and one engagement with pro-Russian forces in the same period. One of the hotspots was the Debaltseve salient, were pro-Russian troops fired rocket propelled grenades and small arms on Ukrainian outposts in the villages of Orlovo-Ivannivka, Nikishyne and Hostra Mohyla hill. Mortar and artillery fire also hit Mius. Donetsk airport was attacked three times with mortar, small arms and antiaircraft fire. Ukrainian infantry positions and an armoured convoy were hit there, while a reconnaissance unit repulsed a separatist assault at Yasinuvata. Near Pervomaisk, the villages of Trehizbenka and Krimsky were rocked by mortar rounds and rocket propelled grenades, and a roadblock near Donetske, in the outskirts of Kirov, was shelled by tanks. In the area of Mariupol Ukrainian troops were fired at in Hranitne and Chernenko.

Three Ukrainian servicemen from the "Chernigov" battalion were killed and five wounded during fierce fighting around Stanytsia Luhanska in the course of the day. The soldiers were ambushed by pro-Russian militias firing rocket propelled grenades.

17 November
Six Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and nine wounded over the past 24 hours. There were 39 attacks on Ukrainian positions during the same period, as well as two engagements with pro-Russian sources and one ambush. The militias attempted to storm a Ukrainian stronghold near Nikishyne twice, but were driven off with several casualties. A one-hour battle took place in the northeastern area of Chernukhin, and the villages of Mius Orlovo-Ivanivka and the Ukrainian outpost at Hostra Mohyla hill were shelled overnight. The airport of Donetsk and the surrounding region were the target of rebel artillery fire. The airport itself and the town of Pisky were attacked with mortars and tanks, and heavy shelling was reported in other settlements like Avdiivka, Maiorsk, Marinka, Krasnohoryvka, Slavne and Taramchuk. The Ukrainian military claimed that return fire killed at least 20 militants. In Luhansk Oblast there was harassing fire on Ukrainian troops around Stanytsia Luhanska, and the town of Shchastya was hit by "Grad" rockets. In the city of Donetsk local authorities reported one civilian resident killed and eight wounded over the weekend as a consequence of shelling in the district of Kiev.

Ukrainian officials said that pro-Russian forces were set to take control of Bakhmutka road, which would allowed the separatists to threat Shchastya from the west. "Grad" rockets and mortar rounds were fired on Ukrainian roadblocks in Krimsky, Novoaidar and Trehizbenka. Ukrainian positions at Hirske were hit by rocket propelled grenades and mortars, while a checkpoint near Frunze was attacked with antitank missiles. Near Mariupol, "Grad" rockets landed around two Ukrainian outposts between Chermalik and Nikolaevka. Troops stationed in Hranitne, Chernenko and Pavlopil were subjected to artillery, mortar and small arms fire.

Heavy shelling rocked several areas of Donetsk city during the day. The districts of Voroshilov, Kalinin and Betka were reportedly hit. It was later learned that "Grad" volleys hit also the district of Kiev, setting a number of residences on fire.

18 November
Six Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and nine wounded in the past 24 hours. Pro-Russian forces opened fire 33 times on Ukrainian positions. The villages of Trehizbenka, Sokolniki and the Ukrainian army headquarters in Shchastya were the target of "Grad" rockets. The new terminal of Donetsk airport was razed by rebel artillery, while in the area of Debaltseve the separatist pounded Ukrainian army units stationed in Orlovo-Ivanivka and Komyshevani. A number of the Ukrainian troops killed or injured were the victims of mines and improvised explosive devices.

Another Ukrainian soldier was killed and nine wounded in the course of the day, when pro-Russian troops carried out 28 attacks on Ukrainian security forces. The incidents centered on Donetsk airport and Avdiivka, where the militias fired upon the Ukrainian defenders on 13 occasions with artillery, mortars and small arms. Ukrainian and pro-Russian troops clashed in the vicinity of the airport. Ukrainian checkpoints and observation posts near Trehizbenka, Sokolniki and Shchastya continued to be the target of heavy fire, while around Debaltseve Ukrainian positions were hit by mortar fire in Chernukhin, Troitske and Maloorlivka. "Grad" rockets landed in Nikishyne.

19 November
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and thirteen wounded in action over the past 24 hours. The Ukrainian military recorded 43 pro-Russian attacks on their troops in the same period. Separatist forces launched "Grad" rockets on Ukrainian positions along Bakhmutka road, specially in Donetskiy, Sokolniki, the checkpoint between Frunze and Krimsky and the Ukrainian headquarters at Shchastya. Fighting continued unabated around Donetsk airport, while heavy shelling was reported in the village of Hranitne. The Ukrainian army executed counter battery fire. Humanitarian aid was delivered in Bulavynske, southwest of Debaltseve. The village was later rocked by artillery and mortar fire. The nearby villages of Nikishyne, Maloorlivka, Maiorsk, Kamyanka and Uglegorsk were also shelled by the rebel militias. Ukraine's Luhansk Governor Hennadiy Moskal reported three civilians killed and four wounded after artillery fire hit the village of Toshkovka.

Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the course of the day. On Bakhmutka road, pro-Russian forces targeted Ukrainian positions around Stanytsia Lhanska and Trehizbenka with mortar fire. Ukrainian and rebel troops clashed near Mius in the morning, and explosions were heard in the village of Zolote. In the area of Mariupol, mortar rounds landed around Ukrainian positions in the villages of Nikolaevka and Chermalik. Ukrainian artillery returned fire in several occasions, particularly in Donetsk airport.

The head of the Lugansk People's Republic Igor Plotnitsky challenged Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to a duel in an open letter in which he proposes "Whoever wins will dictate their terms to the opposing side".

20 November
Six Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action around the Donbass during the past 24 hours. Pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions 60 times over the same period. Ukrainian artillery fired back on 47 occasions. Shchastya's power station was attacked, and mortar and artillery fire was heard in Stanytsia Luhanska, Olkhovo, Krasnohoryvka, Trehizbenka, Krimsky, Nikolaevka, Pisky, Avdiivka and Donetsk airport. Ukrainian roablocks in Popasna, Chernukhin, Uglegorsk, and Nikyshyne were also fired on.

In the afternoon, a military convoy was rocked by an explosion that disabled a "Ural" truck and wounded two Ukrainian soldiers. A second vehicle was destroyed by the explosion. It was later determined that the incident was the result of an improvised explosive device attack. Meanwhile, witnesses on the ground reported heavy shelling in the town of Shchastya, where at least three people was injured and a number of buildings damaged.

21 November
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and 18 wounded over the past 24 hours, in the course of 39 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions. The main action took place in Slavne, Novotroitske, Pisky and Spartak. In Slavne, the Ukrainian army fend off an infiltration attempt by rebel troops. Ukrainian forces returned fire on 18 occasions. Two civilians also died as result of the shelling, and another four were injured. Another seven civilians were wounded when separatist militants fired artillery and mortars on Shchastya on five occasions. Most of the city was left without power. Chernukhin and Krimsky were also blacked out after heavy shelling.

The Ukrainian National Security Council announced that artillery was fired from Russia into Ukraine for the first time since the implementation of the ceasefire. The incident took place at Komyshne, Luhansk Oblast.

The Ukrainian military reported that rebel militias opened fire on Ukrainian troops 34 times during the day. Ukrainian forces returned fire with rockets and artillery on 24 occasions. The villages of Smile, Raivka and Donetskiy, in Luhansk Oblast, were the target of mortar fire. At noon, a Ukrainian resupply convoy reached Donetsk airport, unloading their cargo despite intense enemy fire. Also at Donetsk airport, one Ukrainian soldier was killed and two wounded by a landmine, while clearing the area from improvised explosive devices. Other six soldiers were wounded elsewhere. According to local residents, the town of Dzerzhynsk, controlled by Ukrainian troops, was hit by "Grad" rockets and artillery fired by pro-Russian forces from Horlivka. Several casualties were reported.

22 November
Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and ten wounded over the last 24 hours in the Donbass region. Separatist militias attacked Ukrainian positions on 79 occasions during the same period. Ukrainian troops returned fire 42 times. One civilian was reported killed in a mortar attack on Zolote, Luhansk Oblast. Pro-Russian media claimed that the Ukrainian army broke the truce on eight occasions overnight, killing one militiaman in Petropavlovka, near Hostra Mohyla hill, and one civilian in Petrivske.

In the course of the day, pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian troops on 18 occasions with tanks, mortars, artillery "Grad" rockets and small arms.

Residential areas of Debaltseve were hit by "Grad" and "Uragan" rockets; seven civilians were injured.

23 November
No casualties were recorded by the Ukrainian military during the past 24 hours, in spite of 70 separatist attacks on Ukrainian troops during the same period. The Ukrainian artillery returned fire on 28 occasions. Ukrainian roadblocks and observations posts were attacked in Olkhovo, Sokolniki, Shchastya, Stanytsia Luhanska, Trehizbenka, Opytne, Krasnohoryvka, Nikolaevka, Avdiivka, Nevelskoe, Marinka, Pisky, Vesele, Tonenke, Debaltsevo, Novahryhorivka, Chernukhin, Mius, Maloorlivka, Orlovo- Ivanovka, Popasna, Nikishin, Vilkhova, Olenivka, Uglegorsk, Pavlopil and Chermalik.

A Ukrainian soldier from the OUN volunteers battalion (Ukrainian Nationalists Organisation) was reported killed in action in Pisky during the morning. At least five civilians also died in Avdiivka when the town was shelled from rebel-controlled Yasinuvata. OSCE observers noticed intense mortar fire coming from the area of Myhailivka, east of Stanytsia Luhanska.

24 November
Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 24 wounded over the past 24 hours. Pro-Russian forces opened fire on 56 occasions on Ukrainian positions during the same period. The separatists fired 40 times using mortars and artillery, nine times with multiple rocket launchers, on five occasions with small arms and in one instance with tank guns. Most of the incidents took place in the villages of Maloorlivka, Pisky, Maiorsk, Krimsky, Shumy, Yenakievo, Nikishyne, the town of Debaltseve and Hostra Mohyla hill. Ukrainian artillery returned fire on 15 opportunities. Separatist media claimed that six residential buildings in Pervomaisk were destroyed by Ukrainian "Grad" rockets. Several civilians were reported wounded.

There was renewed shelling from Russian territory into Ukraine. The attacks were carried out from the border villages of Mozhaevka and Patronovka, and hit areas surrounding Verkhnya Vilkhova and Stanytsia Luhanska.

In the course of the day, rebel forces pounded Ukrainian outposts in Olenivka, Novotroitske, Maiorsk, Nikolaevka, Krasnohoryvka, Pavlopil, Chermalik, Avdiivka, Pisky, Vesele, and Tonenke. The Ukrainian military recorded a total of 16 hostile incidents.

25 November
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and five wounded over the past 24 hours. Separatist militias fired 36 times on Ukrainian troops along the Donbass during the same period. The rebels used mortars, artillery and "Grad" rockets. The main targets were the villages of Trehizbenka, Stanytsia Luhanska, Verkhnya Vilkhova, Krimsky, Nyzhnoteple, Makarove, Shchastya, Kryakivka, Olenivka, Novotroitske, Pisky, Tonenke, Avdiivka, Krasnohoryvka, Vesele, Berezove and Donetsk airport. Three local residents were killed and eight wounded in Donetsk city after heavy shelling rocked the districts of Kiev, Lenin, Kuibyshev and Petrovsky.

A humanitarian aid distribution center, manned by the NGO "One Hundred Volunteers" was partially destroyed in Debaltseve when the city was hit by "Grad" rockets. The organisation reported casualties among the civilian population.

Pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 16 occasions in the course of the day. There were attacks on Ukrainian outposts in the villages of Verkhnya Vilkhova, Trehizbenka, Stanytsia Luhanska, Olenivka, Novotroitske, Nikolaevka, Avdiivka, Pisky, Vesele, Tonenke, Pavlopil, Chermalik, Krasnohoryvka and Maiorsk.

26 November
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and two more wounded over the past 24 hours. According to analyst Dmitry Tymchuk, separatist troops opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 50 occasions during the same period. There were 83 instances in which the Ukrainian artillery returned fire. Pro-Russian troops used mortars, artillery, multiple rocket launchers and tanks. The militias attacked Ukrainian outposts in the settlements of Artem, Stanytsia Luhanska, Vilkhova, Krimsky, Shchastya, Sokolniki, Verkhnya Vilkhova, Maloorlivka, Pisky, Donetsk, Olenivka, Novokalinovo, Opytne, Tonenke, Verkhnotoretske and Donetsk airport. In Debaltseve pocket, the villages of Nikyshyne, Mius, Shumy, Kalinivka, Troitske and Debaltseve itself were also the target of hostile fire.

Pro-Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian troops in the Donbass 24 times in the course of the day. The rebel artillery hit Hirne, Shchastya, Zolote, Avdiivka, Popasna, Vesele, Stanytsia Luhanska, Novokalinovo, Krimsky, Novomyhailivka, Opytne, Pisky, Poltavske coal mining complex, Shumy, Nikyshyne, Orlov-Ivanovka, Maloorlivka, Krasnohoryvka, Hranitne and Bohdanivka.

In the evening, the power station in Shchastya was damaged by "Grad" rockets. Most of the town had been without heat and hot water since 25 November.

An OSCE convoy was attacked with RPG and anti-aircraft cannon when travelling between Kirove and Shumy, apparently "from separatist-controlled territory".

Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has published an alleged list of Russian military units taking part in the conflict and map of their dislocation.

27 November
Five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded during the past 24 hours. The Ukrainian military also announced the deaths of two civilian residents due to rebel shelling in Luhansk Oblast. Eight more were injured. Pro-Russian forces opened fire 50 times on Ukrainian positions overnight. In Luhansk Oblast, Ukrainian troops around the settlements of Popasna, Zolote, Hirne, Chernukhin, Krimsky, Stanytsia Luhanska, Shchastya, Predolske, Verkhnya Vilkhova, Vilkhova, Makarove and Trehizbenka were the target of rebel shelling. In Donetsk Oblast, there were attacks in Donetsk airport, Avdiivka, Kamyanka, Vesele, Novokalinovo, Khimik, Maloorlivka, Pisky, Krasnohoryvka, Berezove, Poltavske coal mining complex, Opytne, Shumy, Orlov-Ivanovka, Nikyshyne and Debaltseve. Ukrainian artillery returned fire on 36 occasions.

In the course of the day there were 32 separatist attacks on Ukrainian troops in the Donbass region. Two civilians were killed by artillery fire in the district of Kuibyshev, Donetsk city.

28 November
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and three other wounded in action over the last 24 hours. Pro-Russian troops opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 50 occasions during the same period according to military analyst Dmytro Tymchuk. There were attacks on the settlements of Artema, Trehizbenka, Makarove, Stanytsia Luhanska, Shchastya, Verkhnya Vilkhova, Olhovatka, Heivka, Prychepylivka, Pisky, Novomyhailivka, Berezove, Vesele, Novobakhmutivka, Opytne, Tonenke, Troitske, Artemov, Nikishyne, Orlov-Ivanivka, Kamyanka, Tonenke and Shumy. Four civilians were injured when separatists fired with multiple grenade launcher on Stanytsia Luhanska. Ukrainian officials later announced the death of a resident near the bridge on the river Seversky Donets. Considerable damage was inflicted upon the villages of Nyzhnya Vilkhova and Verkhnya Vilkhova, and a "Grad" rockets set a forest near Valiuske on fire.

According to the Ukrainian military, the separatists attempted to storm Ukrainian positions around Nikyshyne three times, but were driven off by artillery fire. Rebel militias used tanks, supported by mortar and machine gun fire on Ukrainian outpost in the areas of Uglegorsk and Debaltseve. Tymchuk claimed that Ukrainian troops knocked down one of the tanks and finished it off with rocket propelled grenades. Ukrainian army's north operational command reported 12 pro-Russian attacks with mortar, artillery and multiple grenade launchers in Shchastya, Heivka, Stanytsia Luhanska, Trehizbenka and Makarove. The same sources claimed to have destroyed one enemy armoured carrier and shot down a drone near Shchastya. The unmmaned aircraft was brought down by ZU-23-2 fire.

Pro-Russian media confirmed that Luhansk militias and Cossack troops suppressed a rebellion in Antratsit led by rogue Cossacks. Cossack commander Nikolai Kozitsin eventually left the Donbass by December as a consequence of the crisis.

During the day, the Ukrainian military recorded 32 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions, 12 of them in and around Donetsk airport. Roadblocks and observation posts were also attacked in Debaltseve pocket and Luhansk Oblast. There was harassing fire on the villages of Artema, Trehizbenka, Makarove, Stanytsia Luhanska, Shchastya, Verkhnya Vilkhova, Heivka, and in the area of Debaltseve on Artemove, Hostra Mohyla hill, Nikishyne, Orlov-Ivanivka, Shumy and Kamyanka.

29 November
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and eleven wounded in action over the last 24 hours. Pro-Russian militias fired 38 times upon Ukrainian positions during the same period. The Ukrainian artillery fired back on 27 occasions. The main targets were the outposts around Trehizbenka, Vilkhova, Hirske, Krimsky, Hivka, Makarove, Shchastya, Stanytsia Luhanska, Sokolniki, Avdiivka, Pisky, Nikolaevka, Opytne, Novobakhmutivka and Tonenke. The Ukrainian military also claimed that the militants shelled intentionally 16 residential areas, killing one civilian.

Rebel militias broke the truce 26 times in the course of the day, according to Ukrainian military officials. The main focus of the attacks was Donetsk airport, where the rebels launched an assault with the support of "Grad" rockets. Pro-Russian forces also shelled Novotoshkivske, Popasna, Sokolniki, Nikishyne, Novolaspa, Hranitne, Nikolaevka, Pisky, Avdiivka, Chermalik and Vesele. The Ukrainian artillery executed seven suppressive fire missions.

One civilian resident was killed and two wounded in Popasna as the result of "Grad" rocket fire. Widespread damage was reported.

30 November
Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 15 wounded over the past 24 hours in the Donbass region. Separatists troops attacked Ukrainian positions on 45 occasions overnight. The Ukrainian artillery executed counterbattery fire on 22 instances. Pro-Russian fire hit the settlements of Sokolniki, Nyzhnoteple, Makarove, Vilkhova, Shchastya, Trehizbenka, Hirne, Pisky, Avdiivka, Vesele, Tonenke, Severnyy, Krasnohorivka, Novobahmutivka, Opytne, Kamianka, Slavne, Nikishyne, Maloorlivka, Olhovatka, Debaltseve, Novolaspa, Hranitne and Nikolaevka. Two civilians were killed and 22 wounded. Bakhmutka road was under intense shelling and the town of Stanytsia Luhanska was targeted by "Grad" rockets; four civilian residences were set on fire in the district of Kondrashivka when Ukrainian and separatist troops clashed using tracers.

During the day, pro-Russian forces opened fire on 25 occasions on Ukrainian troops. The militias used artillery, mortars and tanks to pound Donetsk airport, Sokolniki, Kryakivka, Krimsky, Donetskiy, Artema, Nyzhnoteple, Pisky, Avdiivka, Tonenke, Olitne, Bogdanivka, Maloorlivka, Nikishyne, Novolaspa, Nikolaevka, and Pavlopil. Ukrainian artillery returned fire on 31 occasions.

One civilian was killed and another wounded in the district of Kiev in Donetsk when artillery barrages hit several parts of the city.

December
Lack of coal for Ukraine's coal-fired power stations due to the War in Donbass and a shut down one of the six reactors of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant lead to rolling blackouts throughout Ukraine from early till late December 2014.

1 December
According to the spokesman of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Information-Analytical Center Andriy Lysenko, three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 14 wounded over the past 24 hours in the Donbass region. Lysenko said Russian special forces were now taking part in attacks on Donetsk airport, where fierce fighting was reported in the last two days. Two Ukrainian paratroopers, called the "cyborgs" by Ukrainian media were killed and 18 wounded. There were 41 separtatist attacks on Ukrainian troops overnight. The rebels used artillery, mortars and multiple rocket launchers. Harassing fire pounded Ukrainian positions around Sokolniki, Kryakivka, Krimsky, Artema, Nyzhnoteple, Stanytsia Luhanska, Makarove, Trehizbenka, Shchastya, Hivka, Pisky, Donetskiy, Avdiivka, Tonenke, Opytne, Bogdanivka, Nikyshyne, Maloorlivka, Debaltseve, Novolaspa, Nikolaevka and Pavlopil. Luhansk Governor Hennadiy Moskal said that right after a "Grad" rocket attack on the city, rebel militias burst onto downtown Stanytsia Luhanska, where an intense firefight erupted with Ukrainian security forces. The town council and other buildings were damaged. Eight other settlements in Luhansk Oblast were the target of mortar, artillery and multiple rocket fire.

Pro-Russian forces opened fire 25 times on Ukrainian positions during the day. The majority of the incidents took place in Donetsk airport, but Ukrainian checkpoints and observation posts were also attacked in Petrovsky, Pisky, Avdiivka, Debaltseve, Novobakhmutivka, Novokalinovo, Artemove, Nevelske, Stari Aidar, Maiorsk, Slavne, and Nikolaevka. The Ukrainian artillery fired back on eight occasions. Ukrainian media published videos of separatist "Grad" launchers firing on Pisky from behind apartment buildings at Maksyma Kozyrya street in Donetsk.

In the evening, the NSDC announced that a ceasefire accord was reached between Ukrainian and Russian representatives in the area of Donetsk airport. Some time later, contact was lost with the Ukrainian paratroopers defending the stronghold.

2 December
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and four wounded during the last 24 hours. Separatist troops opened fire on 52 occasions on Ukrainian positions around the Donbass during the same period. The main incidents took place in Donetsk city, Popasna, Stari Aidar, Krimsky, Makarove, Shchastya, Stanytsia Luhanska, Sokolniki, Pisky, Donetskiy, Avdiivka, Petrovsky, Nikolaevka, Novobakhmutivka, Slavne, Nevelsk, Tonenke, Marinka, Artemove, Debaltseve, Maiorsk, Shumy and Nikyshyne. Ukrainian artillery fired back on 25 instances. Members of the self-dubbed "Army of the Great Don" launched "Grad" rockets on Trehizbenka late in the night, killing two civilians. Another four civilians were reported wounded.

In the early hours of the morning, "Grad" rockets and mortar rounds fired from Vesela Hora hit a two-story residential building in Shchastya. Severe damage was reported, and a power line was knocked down.

Analyst Dmitry Tymchuk claimed that pro-Russian armoured forces supported by artillery were trying to push Ukrainian troops from the north bank of the river Seversky Donets.

Fighting resumed during the day in Donetsk airport, despite a local truce agreed by Ukrainian and Russian officials. There were also 14 pro-Russian artillery and mortar attacks on Ukrainian troops around Donetsk city, Horlivka, Debaltseve, Bakhmutka road and Stanytsia Luhanska. The incidents took place in the villages of Pisky, Avdiivka, Opytne, Tonenke, Maiorsk, Shumy, Chernukhin, Nikyshyne, Bohdanivka and Verkhnya Vilkhova.

According to OSCE, the Ukrainian military and from the Luhansk people's republic militias signed a new ceasefire agreement to be implemented on 5 December.

3 December
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and five wounded over the past 24 hours in the Donbass region. Pro-Russian forces fired 39 times upon Ukrainian positions, while the Ukrainian artillery returned fire on 19 occasions. The Ukrainian military reported incidents in Maiorsk, Verkhnya Vilkhova, Stanytsia Luhanska, Shchastya, Makarove, Avdiivka, Tonenke, Pisky, Opytne, Donetsk airport, Taramchuk, Berezhove, Slavne, Chernukhin, Shumy, Nikyshyne, Ridkodub, Debaltseve and Bohdanivka. The militias used mortars, artillery and "Grad" rockets. Five civilians were wounded. Rebel sources claimed that three civilians were killed and three wounded as result of heavy Ukrainian shelling on Horlivka, Spartak, Makiivka, Rassypne and the district of Kiev in Donetsk city.

During the day there were 19 separatist attacks on Ukrainian troops, Ukrainian artillery fired back on 18 occasions. Pro-Russian forces shelled Zolote, Stanytsia Luhanska, Novobakhmutivka, Opytne, Tonenke, Donetskiy, Avdiivka, Mius, Nikyshyne, Artemove, Vynohradne, Tlakovka, Lomakin, Vodyane and Mariupol.

A volley of "Grad" rockets fired from Sakhanka hit Ukrainian outposts around Mariupol at noon, specially in the eastern district of the city and the village of Talakovka. A number of Ukraine's National Guard soldiers were wounded. Orlivka, a small settlement near Avdiivka, was pounded by rebel troops with artillery fire. Four civilian residents suffered major injuries as a result. The area was the subject of almost daily bombardment.

Ukrainian border guards and soldiers confronted a team of infiltrators near Kolesnikovka, close to the border with Russia. One soldier was wounded in the clash, as the intruders fled away. A Ukrainian Kuhuar armoured vehicle hit a landmine during the evacuation. The crew only suffered minor injuries.

4 December
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and 13 wounded over the past 24 hours. According to the Ukrainian military, separatist troops carried out 71 attacks on Ukrainian positions in the same period. There was heavy shelling in Zolote, Popasna, Stanytsia Luhanska, Donetskiy, Shchastya, Trehizbenka, Kryakivka, Vilkhova, Novobahmutivka, Donetsk airport, Avdiivka, Novokalinovo, Bohdanivka, Krasnohorivka, Opytne, Tonenke, Zelene Pole, Stepne, Pisky, Kamenka, Mius, Chernukhin, Nikyshyne, Artemovo, Kamyanka, Debaltseve and Uglegorsk. In the area of Mariupol the villages of Vynohradne, Talakovka, Lomakin, Vodyane and Chermalik were also hit by hostile fire. Ukrainian artillery fired back on 45 occasions. Ukrainian officials claimed that their artillery destroyed an enemy "Grad" multiple rocket launcher in Pervomaisk, after two rocket volleys landed in the village of Zolote. One civilian was reported killed in Donetsk city by artillery fire.

The NSDC reported that pro-government partisans operating inside rebel-held territory had taken a heavy toll from separatist troops since the first days of December. Sources from Luhansk people's republic said that two groups of saboteurs were decimated south of Stanytsia Luhanska, where five assailants were killed and an off-road vehicle destroyed.

In the course of the day, Pro-Russian forces opened fire 31 times on Ukrainian troops using artillery rockets, artillery and mortars. The Ukrainian army returned fire on 20 instances. The militias pounded Ukrainian positions around the villages of Krimsky, Nizhniy, Stanytsia Luhanska, Sokolniki, Stari Aidar, Vilkhova, Shchastya, Slavne, Tonenke, Novokalinovo, Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka, Debaltseve, Uglegorsk, Orlov-Ivanovka, Kamyshevakha, Novolaspa, Bohdanivka, Olhinka, Novotroitske and Chermalik. The Ukrainian military fought off eight pro-Russian assaults on Donetsk airport, according to their own sources. Separatist media alleged that Ukrainian troops shelled the rebel-held town of Kirovsk, leaving the area without power and water supply. The same sources reported the bombardment of Oktyabrsky district in Donetsk city by Ukrainian forces stationed in Pesky.

5 December
According to the spokesman of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Information-Analytical Center Andriy Lysenko, six Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 13 wounded over the past 24 hours in the Donbass region. The NSDC also recorded 55 separatist attacks on Ukrainian troops on the same period. Ukrainian outposts were pounded in Krimsky, Nizhniy, Stanytsia Luhanska, Sokolniki, Stari Aidar, Vilkhova, Shchastya, Slavne, Tonenke, Hranitne, Makarove, Pisky, Novokalinovo, Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka, Debaltseve, Petrovsky, Nikyshyne, Uglegorsk, Orlov-Ivanovka, Kamyshevakha, Novolaspa, Bohdanivka, Redkodub, Olhinka, Novotroitske, Trudovsky and Chermalik. Ukrainian artillery returned fire on 31 occasions.

Pro-Russian forces fired upon Ukrainian positions on 29 occasions during the day. The Ukrainian military reported incidents in Trehizbenka, Berezhove, Krimsky, Opytne, Vilkhova, Novohryhorivka, Chernukhin, Orlov-Ivanivka, Mius and Donetsk airport. Rebel militias carried out two assaults on Donetsk airport using tanks, grenade launchers and small arms. They briefly wrestled control of the old terminal from the Ukrainian defenders, but the paratroopers retook the building by evening. The nearby town of Pisky, under Ukrainian control and a key point in the defence of the airport also witnessed heavy fighting. Separatist sources claimed that Ukrainian troops violated the ceasefire nine times, killing one civilian in the process.

6 December
Seven Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action over the past 24 hours. Separatist troops opened fire on Ukrainian positions 45 times on the same period using mortars, artillery and multiple rocket launchers. Two civilians were killed according to the NSDC. The militias shelled the villages of Trehizbenka, Makarove, Berezhove, Vilkhova, Opytne, Avdiivka, Marinka, Krimsky, Novohryhorivka, Chernukhin, Orlov-Ivanivka and Mius. Ukrainian artillery returned fire on 21 instances. Media from the Donetsk people's republic claimed that Ukrainian bombardment on the town of Kirov killed two civilians overnight.

There were 58 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian troops in the course of the day. Only in Debaltseve pocket, the rebels targeted Debaltseve, Nikyshyne, Mius, Redkodub, Olkhovatka, Uglegorsk, Maloorlivka, Chernukhin, Shumy and Poltavske coal mining complex. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and two wounded in the area by a "Grad" rocket barrage, according to local media. Four attacks were recorded in the Mariupol area. The local police station in Ukrainian-held Avdiivka was rocked by an explosion in the evening. Separatist sources reported that a five-story residential building was set on fire after heavy shelling in Pervomaisk. According to the same sources, there were several civilian casualties.

7 December
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and eight wounded over the last 24 hours. Pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 87 occasions. Artillery and mortar rounds landed in the villages of Makarove, Muratove, Shchastya, Frunze, Donetskiy, Krimsky, Sokolniki, Trehizbenka, Stanytsia Luhanska, Petrivka, Maksymivka, Trudivske, Novomyhaylivka, Petrovsky, Avdiivka, Bohdanivka, Pisky, Krasnohorivka, Doslidne, Hirske, Orlivka and Marinka. Separatist media claimed that one nurse was killed in the center of Novomyhaylivka by howitzer fire. The villages of Vuhlehirsk, Olenevka and Komsomolsk were also bombarded according to the same sources. Luhansk Oblast Governor Hennadiy Moskal said that Cossack troops carried out a mortar attack on the village of Kryakivka, killing two civilian residents.

Rebel militias attacked Ukrainian troops 33 times in the course of the day. The main targets were Mius, Chernukhin, Debaltseve, Orlov-Ivanovka, Nikyshyne, Olkhovatka, Faschivka and the mining complex of Poltavske, all of them in the area of Debaltseve pocket. Ukrainian artillery returned fire on 42 occasions.

Hand-to-hand combat was reported around Horlivka, where heavy shelling left the town without electricity. One civilian was killed and seven wounded as result of the fighting.

8 December
One Ukrainian soldier was killed in action and nine wounded over the past 24 hours. Ukrainian positions were pounded 55 times by separatist militias on the same period. Artillery and rocket fire was reported in the settlements of Mius Chernukhin, Debaltseve, Orlov-Ivanovka, Poltavske, Nikyshyne, Olkhovatka, Faschivka, Artemove, Redkodub, Verkhnya Vilkhova, Artema, Sokolniki, Stari Aidar, Stanytsia Luhanska, Trehizbenka, Frunze, Shchastya, Avdiivka, Marinka, Opytne, and Nikolaevka. Six civilians were killed and three wounded. Ukrainian artillery fired back on 52 occasions. The NSDC claimed that ten civilians were killed and 13 wounded in Donetsk city as a consequence of heavy fighting between rival separatist factions.

During the day, there were 31 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian troops. In the area of Donetsk, the rebels fired on Ukrainian positions around Pisky, Vodyane, Opytne, Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka and Donetsk airport. In Luhansk Oblast, Stanytsia Luhanska, Novomihailivka, Trehizbenka and Verkhnya Vilkhova were the subject of heavy shelling, while in Debaltseve pocket the separatist artillery pounded the villages of Artemove, Chernukhin, Shumy and Maiorsk. Two members of an emergency response team suffered major injuries at Marinka when a shell landed near the gas pipeline they were repairing.

The town of Avdiivka was left without power after intense shelling from rebel-held Yasinuvata. Pro-Russian artillery also hit the villages of Khimik and Yubileyny.

9 December
Six Ukrainian servicemen were killed in action and seven wounded over the last 24 hours in the Donbass region. The Ukrainian military reported 64 pro-Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions near the villages of Stanytsia Luhanska, Trehizbenka, Novomihailivka, Stari Aidar, Shchastya, Krimsky, Opytne, Vodyane, Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Pisky, Tonenke, Novobahmutivka, Krasne, Taramchuk, Artemove, Maiorsk, Chernukhin, Shumy, Debaltseve, Olhovatka, Uglegorsk, Nikyshyne, Novoorlivka and Redkodub. Counterbattery fire from Avdiivka knocked down five separatist tanks near Yasinuvata.

Since 9:00 am a renewed "silent mode" was agreed between the Ukrainian military and separatist militias, pending further agreement in talks which would take place in Minsk in the next few days.

By the evening, the Ukrainian army recorded 13 violations of the "silent mode" by pro-Russian forces, which opened fire on Ukrainian positions using mortars, artillery, tanks and small arms. The attacks occurred around Stanytsia Luhanska, Donetsk airport, Redkodub, Shumy, Sokolnivki, Krimsky, Nikolaevka, Maiorsk, Marinka and Nikyshyne. Hennadiy Moskal claimed that Stanytsia Luhanska was hit by "Grad" rockets after midnight, and by mortar and self-propelled artillery in the morning. A member of the "Aidar" battalion said that Trehizbenka was hit by "Grad" rocket volleys six times.

10 December
No casualties were reported by the Ukrainian military for the past 24 hours. Separatist troops opened fire on Ukrainian positions 17 times in the same period. The rebels pounded the villages of Marinka, near Donetsk city, Redkodub and Nikyshyne in Debaltseve pocket, Shumy and Maiorsk near Horlivka and Nikolaevka in the southern front. The main activity was recorded in Luhansk Oblast, specially on Bakhmutka road, where tanks, artillery and small arms where used against Ukrainian troops at Krimsky and Sokolniki. Roadblocks and outpost around Stanytsia Luhanska were also shelled. Seven civilians were wounded. Separatist media reported Ukrainian army violations of the truce in Smile, Sokolniki, Nikyshyne and Oktyabriske mining complex.

Pro-Russian forces broke the "silent mode" on 12 occasions during the day. The attacks focused on the villages of Shchastya, Krimsky, Frunze, Sokolniki, Kryakivka, Redkodub, Karyakin and Zhovte. Antitank missiles landed on Ukrainian positions in Krimsky, and Shchastya was the target of multiple grenade launchers. A lonely tank fired on Ukrainian troops in Sokolniki. Ukrainian forces didn't return fire.

11 December
Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and eight wounded in the Donbass region over the last 24 hours. Pro-Russian forces opened fire on 22 occasions on Ukrainian positions overnight using mortars, antiarcraft guns, tanks and small arms. The rebels hit the villages of Frunze, Shchastya, Krimsky, Sokolniki, Kapitanovo, Kryakivka, Zhovte, Avdiivka, Kamyanka, Redkodub, Maloorlivka, Chernukhin, and Chermalik. There were four attacks on Donetsk airport.

Ukrainian Minister of Defense Stepan Poltorak ordered a fourth partial mobilization.

Ukrainian officials claimed that Russian troops deployed antitank guns in the area of Horlivka.

The Ukrainian military recorded only two attacks on Donetsk airport in the course of the day. The militias fired on both terminals using multiple grenade launchers. No incidents were reported elsewhere.

12 December
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action and three wounded during the morning, while another was injured near Avdiivka, the only casualty initially reported over the past 24 hours. At first the NSDC did not confirm a statement from an "Azov" battalion's spokesman reporting the death of the two soldiers at Pavlopil, in the southern front north of Mariupol, yet they verified these casualties the next day. Two civilians were injured during the same period. According to the Ukrainian military, separatist troops fired six times on Ukrainian positions using small arms and multiple grenade launchers. The main incidents took place in Donetsk airport, Pisky, Chernukhin, Shchastya and Maiorsk.

Members of the "Azov" battalion in Hnutove said they learned from local residents that pro-Russian armoured units had broken into the village of Pavlopil, where they raised the flag of "Novorossiya". According to the Ukrainian soldiers, a patrol of scouts sent to investigate was ambushed when they tried to enter the occupied settlement. Two servicemen were reported killed and three wounded during the engagement, and a light vehicle hit a landmine. The militias also suffered casualties, and withdrew from the battlefield. They came back supported by armoured vehicles which sprayed the village with heavy fire, in the belief that Ukrainian troops were entrenched in the main buildings. The OSCE mission later confirmed that militiamen from the Donetsk people's republic forced them to withdraw from Pavlopil.

In the course of the day pro-Russian forces opened fire on seven occasions on Ukrainian troops using antitank missiles, mortars and artillery. The NSDC recorded attacks on the villages of Donetskiy, Frunze, Shchastya and Stanytsia Luhanska.

In the evening a mutually agreed rotation of Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk Airport was completed with unprecedented face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian battalion commander captain "Kupol" and "Motorola", commander of the separatist "Sparta" battalion. The meeting, especially the final shake of hands between the commanders, caused a lot of stir on both sides, with a number of comments ranging from condemnation of "shaking hands with enemy" to appraisal of "respecting the enemy".

13 December
No casualties were reported by the Ukrainian military for the past 24 hours. Separatist troops broke the "silent mode" on 11 occasions using antitank missiles, artillery, mortars and small arms. Ukrainian troops were targeted at Stanytsia Luhanska, Frunze, Donetskiy, Shchastya, Staromikhailivka, Nikyshyne and Pavlopil, while the Ukrainian military described the situation around Debaltseve, Shchastya, Yasinuvata, Starohnativka and Stanytsa Luhanska as tense. There was harassing fire on Ukrainian checkpoints on the road between Fashchivka and Debaltseve.

Separatists media reported four ceasefire violations by Ukrainian troops in Luhansk Oblast. These sources recorded mortar and sniper attacks against rebel outpost around Stanytsia Luhanska, Shchastya, Vesela Hora and Debaltseve.

During the day, pro-Russian forces launched 11 attacks on Ukrainian positions. Military action focused on Stanytsia Luhanska, Frunze, Verkhnotoretske, Nikyshyne, Krimsky and Donetsk airport. There were three hostile incidents in Donetsk airport involving RPGs, multiple grenade launchers and sniper fire.

14 December
No military or civilian casualties were reported by Ukrainian officials over the past 24 hours. Pro-Russian troops opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 14 occasions. The rebels used multiple rocket launchers, mortars, and for the first time since the "silent mode" agreement of 9 December "Grad" artillery rockets. There were attacks on Frunze, Krimsky, Stanytsia Luhanska, Verkhnotoretske, Nikyshyne, Debaltseve and Avdiivka. The Ukrainian military intelligence announced the neutralization of two separatist snipers in the area of Mariupol.

Pro-Russian forces broke the "silent mode" four times in the course of the day. Small arms and grenades were used to attack Ukrainian troops at Orlov-Ivanivka, Frunze, Chernukhin and Donetsk airport. Ukrainian sources claimed that the separatists destroyed two of their own tanks in a friendly-fire incident. Late in the evening, local residents reported artillery fire northwest of Donetsk city.

15 December
Separatist militias committed seven violations to the "silent mode" over the past 24 hours, according to the Ukrainian military. No casualties were reported. The rebel fired small arms and mortar rounds on Ukrainian troops in Frunze, Luhansk Oblast, Orlov-Ivanovka and Chernukhin, in Debaltseve pocket, and Donetsk airport, where the Ukrainian defenders endured three attacks. Separatist media said that rebel positions in Pryshyb, on the river Seversky Donets, where fired upon by Ukrainian troops from Sokolniki using mortars, multiple grenade launchers and heavy machine guns.

In the course of the day, pro-Russian forces used mortars, artillery and "Grad" rocket barrages on six occasions. The separatists fired on Ukrainian positions in the settlements of Krimsky, Trudove, Chernukhin and Debaltseve. In Marinka, southwest of Donetsk city, emergency response teams carrying out repairs on pipelines and power lines were fired at on four instances. The workers escaped unscathed. The Ukrainian army claimed that the militias were improving their ability to disrupt Ukrainian communications with Russian assistance. Rebel sources reported that Ukrainian troops from Avdiivka opened fire on separatist forces entrenched around Donetsk airport. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) reported on 16 December that the OSCE SMM Patrol was caught up in small arms crossfire near Donetsk Airport at about 4:50 pm.

16 December
Separatist troops carried out nine attacks in the Donbass region over the past 24 hours. The rebels fired small arms, mortars, artillery and "Grad" rockets on Ukrainian troops around Krimsky, Novotoshkivske, Trudove, Chernukhin and Debaltseve. Civilian residential buildings were hit twice. The Ukrainian army representative noticed a steady decrease of the amount and intensity of the ceasefire violations. No Ukrainian casualties were reported. The militias claimed that Ukrainian forces violated the truce two times last evening by shelling the settlements of Slavyanoserbsk and Yasne.

In the course of the day, pro-Russian forces resumed the shelling of Ukrainian positions using mortars and artillery. The Ukrainian military recorded a total of 12 attacks on their troops by evening. The incidents took place in the villages of Shchastya, Stari Aidar, Debaltseve, Trehizbenka and Stanytsia Luhanska. Ukrainian paratroopers at Donetsk airport were fired at on four occasions by snipers and multiple grenade launchers. Ukrainian officials reported that the militias used a nearby orthodox monastery as a firing point. Separatist sources claimed that Ukrainian troops shelled the settlements of Slavyanoserbsk, Sokolniki and Obozne, on the southern bank of the Seversky Donets.

17 December
One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action over the last 24 hours. Pro- Russian forces opened fire on 26 occasions on Ukrainian troops. The rebels used artillery, mortars, RPGs and small arms. Hostile incidents were reported in Shchastya, Stanytsia Luhanska, Stari Aidar, Trehizbenka, Krimsky, Sokolniki, Pisky, Avdiivka, Debaltseve, Novohryhorivka, Frunze and Nikyshyne. There were six attacks on Donetsk airport. Luhansk Governor Hennady Moskal said that heavy shelling on Stari Aidar left three civilians wounded and one house destroyed, while administrative buildings in Stanytsia Luhanska were hit by multiple grenade launchers and sniper fire. Minor damage was reported. Mortar rounds fired by Cossacks from the self-styled "Army of the Great Don" landed on the outskirts of Krimsky, causing little damage and no casualties.

During the day, the separatists attacked Ukrainian positions 10 times. According to Ukrainian officials the militias fired "indiscriminately" on the settlements of Krimsky, Chernukhin, Novolaspa, Maloorlivka, Redkodub and Kamyanka. Ukrainian paratroopers defending Donetsk airport were the target of small arms fire on two occasions.

18 December
The Ukrainian military reported 13 ceasefire violations carried out by separatist militias over the past 24 hours. According to the same sources there were no Ukrainian casualties. Rebel militias used artillery, mortar and small arms fire to target Ukrainina troops in Kodema, Avdiivka, Donetsk airport, Stanytsia Luhanska, Krimsky, Trehizbenka, Shchastya and Chernukhin. Ukrainian media reported that one civilian was shot and killed and two wounded by a militant while queuing at a bank in Starobesheve. Apparently the militiamen were trying to keep the order after a brawl erupted among the bank customers when on of them fired a submachine gun by accident. Luhansk people's republic officials claimed that Ukrainian artillery shelled the village of Kondrashivka and fired mortar rounds on an area between the settlements of Pryshyb and Smile. In Donetsk, mortar fire from the airport tower hit the district of Kiev.

Donetsk airport was the target of small arms fire in the course of the day, while pro-Russian forces launched a mortar attack on the village of Frunze. Separatist media said that gunfire and explosions were heard on the districts of Petrovsky, Leninsky and Kirov, in Donetsk city. Former Ukrainian acting President and then Secretary of the NSDC, Oleksandr Turchinov, paid a visit to the Ukrainian troops in the front. He said that attacks on Ukrainian positions dropped sharply since 9 December, but provocations still continued. According to Turchinov, the main hotspots in the Donbass were at the time Shchastya, Debaltseve pocket and Donetsk airport.

19 December
Five Ukrainian soldiers, including a volunteer fighter from Georgia, were killed and seven wounded in the Donbass region over the past 24 hours, announced the Ukrainian military. Pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions nine times during the same period with small arms and multiple grenade launchers. The militias targeted Ukrainian troops in Maiorsk, Shchastya, Redkodub, Novohryhorivka, and Chernukhin. Separatist media reported seven Ukrainian attacks overnight using small arms, grenade launchers, mortars. heavy machine guns, antiaircraft cannons and infantry fighting vehicles. The Ukrainian army fired upon rebel positions at Gagarin mining complex, Donetsk airport, Iztova mining complex, Donetsk city and Vesela Hora.

In the course of the day the pro-Russian troops fired small arms and mortars against Ukrainian forces around Shchastya, Sokolniki, Kirov, Nikyshyne, Maiorsk, Chernukhin and Donetsk airport. Conversely, separatist sources claimed that the Ukrainian army broke the ceasefire on nine occasions using mortars and small arms against rebel outposts. The incidents took place in the villages of Stanytsia Luhanska, Maiorsk, Horlivka and around Donetsk airport.

20 December
Two Ukrainian soldiers were reported wounded in action over the past 24 hours. Separatist militias fired "Grad" rockets on Ukrainian troops in Olkhovatka and mortar and sniper fire in Chernukhin. A Ukrainian roadblock near Krimsky was the target of mortar and artillery rounds, while mortar and small arms fire racked outposts at Frunze, Sokolniki and Shchastya. There were attacks on Chernukhin, Nikyshyne, Pisky, Opytne, Debaltseve, Maiorsk and Chermalik. Hostile drone activity was witnessed by Ukrainian forces over Mariupol. Pro-Russian media reported eight Ukrainian violations of the truce in Horlivka, Donetsk airport, Pryshyb and Nykyshyne. According to the same sources, the Ukrainian army used small arms, multiple grenade launchers, mortars and tanks. Luhansk Governor Hennady Moskal reported nine separatists attacks along Bakhmutka road, where he claimed that Russian paratroopers were stationed just one kilometer away from Ukrainian checkpoint № 29.

The Ukrainian military and the militias accused each other for the death of a nine-year girl in Horlivka when mortar fire hit the town. The girl's mother was severely injured. At the time there was an exchange of fire between Ukrainian forces in Maiorsk and rebel troops entrenched in Horlivka. A Ukrainian tank also fired on pro-Russian positions from nearby Dzerzhynsk.

In the course of the day pro-Russian militias using small arms, multiple grenade launchers and mortars attacked Ukrainian troops in Hranitne, Krimsky, Shumy, Chernukhin, Maiorsk and Donetsk airport.

21 December
Four Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action during the last 24 hours. Pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 21 occasions with mortars, RPGs, small arms and tanks on the same period. Most incidents took place around Donetsk airport, Pisky, Shumy, Hranitne, Maiorsk, Nikyshyne, Chernukhin, Hirske and Krimsky. In the area of Bakhmutka road, where rebel activity has intensified in the past days, the village of Sokolniki was hit by "Grad" artillery rockets. Harassing fire on Ukrainian troops was reported overnight in Nikolaevka, near Mariupol. Separatist media reported Ukrainian artillery fire on Horlivka, Svetlogorsk and Debaltseve and clashes in Avdiivka and in the area between Pervomaisk and Hirske.

During the day pro-Russian infantry fighting vehicles attacked Ukrainian checkpoints near the rebel-held town of Slavyanoserbsk. Ukrainian military sources recorded six assaults on Donetsk airport. The militias fired small arms and multiple grenade launchers on the new terminal building according to this report. There was mortar and artillery shelling on the settlements of Frunze, Krimsky and Debaltseve. Donetsk city residents heard heavy explosions and gunfire from the direction of Pisky. A pipeline was hit by artillery fire at Chervoniy Zhovten (Krasny Oktyabri), northeast of Shchastya, leaving hundreds of homes without natural gas supply.

22 December
The Ukrainian military recorded six attacks by pro-Russian forces on Ukrainian positions overnight. No casualties were reported. There were attacks with small arms, multiple grenade launchers, mortars, infantry fighting vehicles and artillery in Donetsk airport, Debaltseve pocket, Nikyshyne, Hranitne, Slavyanoserbsk, Frunze, Krimsky and Shchastya. Ukrainian sources claimed that ten mercenaries fighting for the rebels defected in Shirokyne. Separatist media reported seven ceasefire violations committed by Ukrainian troops. The Ukrainian army fired mortars against pro-Russian positions in Vesela Hora and small arms on the outskirts of Donetsk from Pisky. Ukrainian tanks from Maiorsk shelled the northeastern area of Horlivka, while mortar and artillery rounds from Hranitne landed in the village of Nova Marevka. Tanks from Debaltseve pocket fired upon rebel outposts in Horodishche, and mortar fire hit militias-held areas in Fashchivka.

In the course of the day the militias opened fire on Ukrainian troops with small arms, mortars, multiple grenade launchers and antitank missiles. The main incidents took place in Donetsk airport, Stanytsia Luhanska, Chernukhin, Hranitne and Novoselivka Druha. Luhansk Governor Hennady Moskal reported eight attacks in the region up to 8 am. According to him, pro-Russian forces used mortars, artillery and "Grad" rockets to pound Shchastya and Krimsky. Between 7 and 10 am, Krimsky was the target of antitank missiles and "Grad" rockets. No casualties were incurred. Military analyst Dmitry Tymchuk observed a major build up of separatist forces around Bakhmutka road, including seven tanks, artillery, four multiple rocket launchers, 25 infantry fighting vehicles, mortars, antitank missiles, multiple grenade launchers and flamethrowers.

A new round of peace talks will be held in Minsk on 24 and 26 December, announced Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, after a phone conversation between Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande and Vladimir Putin.

23 December
Three Ukrainian soldiers were reported wounded in action over the past 24 hours, among them a General of Ukraine's National Guard. Separatist militias opened fire on Ukrainian positions on 18 occasions during the same period using small arms, rocket propelled grenades and mortars. The militants carried out seven attacks in Luhansk Oblast, four around Donetsk city, four around Debaltseve pocket and three near Mariupol. In Donetsk, shelling was reported at Donetsk airport and Pisky, while in Debaltseve pocket Nikyshyne and the electrical substation at Debaltseve itself were hit by automatic gunfire and multiple grenade launchers. Ukrainian troops around Hnutove and Lomakin, in the southern front near Mariupol, were the target of mortar fire. Northwest of Mariupol, soldiers of the "Azov" battalion engaged enemy reconnaissance troops. In Luhansk Oblast, militias fired multiple grenade launchers on the power station at Shchastya and poured mortar rounds on Ukrainian positions near Sokolniki. Fighting between Ukrainian and pro-Russian troops was reported at Krimsky.

Pro-Russian guerrillas blew up a key railway bridge over the Kalchik river in Mariupol in the early hours of the morning. It is believed that the attackers previously shot three security guards from a nearby steel mill, killing one and wounding another. The bombing interrupted Mariupol's steel production and brought harbour operations to a standstill. Some hours later, members of the "Azov" battalion took charge of the security details at the main strategic facilities in the city. The Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs sent in 100 agents from the "Sokol" special operations force. Six Ukrainian soldiers were wounded by an improvised explosive device when patrolling around checkpoint № 31, near Frunze, at 5:30 am. One civilian was killed an another wounded in Stanytsia Luhanska by the explosion of a hand grenade amid fighting between the Ukrainian army and rebel militias, which also involved machine gun and mortar fire. At evening, after a period of calm, there was harassing fire on Ukrainian troops in Debaltseve, Nikyshyne and Chermalik.

24 December
Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action over the past 24 hours according to the Ukrainian military, besides the six soldiers wounded near checkpoint № 31. There were 25 separatist attacks on Ukrainian positions in the Donbass during the same period. The militias fired on Ukrainian troops at Donetsk airport, Stanytsia Luhanska, Sokolniki, Opytne, Pesky, Berezhove, Novomyhailivka, Taramchuk, Slavne, Nikyshyne, Zolote, Hirne, Chermalyk, and Orlov. The outskirts of Hirne were targeted by "Grad" artillery rockets. The Ukrainian military claimed that rebel troops had planted minefields around the village of Zhovte indiscriminately, putting the lives of local residents at risk.

Pro-Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions during the day firing automatic weapons, mortars, rocket propelled grenades, and in one occasion "Grad" artillery rockets. The rebels pounded outposts around Donetsk airport, Hranitne, Nikyshyne, Chernukhin, Maiorsk, Leninsky and Shumy. Ukrainian forces deployed in an area northeast of Mariupol were the target of mortar and rocket propelled grenades.

25 December
One Ukrainian soldier was reported wounded in action by the Ukrainian military for the last 24 hours. Only in Luhansk Oblast, the militias fired upon Ukrainian troops 11 times. The main incidents occurred around Stanytsia Luhanska, Popasna and Chernukhin. The rebels used machine guns, multiple rocket launchers and mortars. In Donetsk Oblast the rebels fired mortar rounds on Hranitne and artillery fire on Taramchuk. The new terminal of Donetsk airport was hit by automatic fire on two occasions. Drone activity over Mariupol intensified during the last day. One civilian was killed when unexploded ordnance went off near his car in Stanytsia Luhanska.

One Ukrainian soldier was killed in the morning and another wounded near the village of Orekhovo-Donetskiy, Luhansk Oblast, when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device while on a resupply mission. In the course of the day pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions on six occasions. The main attacks were aimed at Donetsk airport, Maloorlivka, Chernukhin, Nikolaevka and Maiorsk.

26 December
The Ukrainian military confirmed that a soldier had died in action and another injured over the last 24 hours. Pro-Russian forces opened fire 16 times on Ukrainian positions during the same period using small arms, rocket propelled grenades, mortars, armoured vehicles and artillery. The militias pounded Stanytsia Luhanska, Chernukhin, Nikyshyne, Sokolniki, Marinka, Slavne, Shumy, Maiorsk, Pisky, and Stepne. Media from the Donetsk republic claimed that the Ukrainian army violated the truce on 15 occasions, killing a civilian in the city of Horlivka. The Ukrainians fired with small arms, mortars, multiple grenade launchers, infantry fighting vehicles and tanks on rebel positions around Vesela Hora, Rayovki, Donetsk city, Horlivka, Izotova mining complex, Dokuchayevsk, Pryshyb and Smile.

Near Donetsk Ukraine's government and pro-Russian separatists began an exchange of POWs,  as agreed by the warring parties in Minsk on 24 December.

In the evening, pro-Russian troops carried out eight attacks on Ukrainian positions in Luhansk Oblast. The rebels fired machine guns, multiple grenade launchers and mortars on Ukrainian outposts in the villages of Stanytsia Luhanska, Shchastya, Chernukhin and Krimsky.

27 December
Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action over the past 24 hours in the Donbass region. The Ukrainian military reported ten violations of the truce by separatist militias on the same period. The main incidents took place at Donetsk airport, Nikyshyne, Shchastya, Maiorsk, Nikolaevka and Redkodub. The rebels fired small arms, multiple grenade launchers and mortars. Separatist media announced that Ukrainian security forces broke the truce in at least five instances. There was mortar fire on rebel positions in Smile, Horlivka and two mining complex nearby. Mortar rounds hit Vesela Hora, which was also the target of Ukrainian tanks firing from Stari Aidar. A multiple grenade launcher fired on areas of Donetsk city from Pisky.

During the day, pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions on nine occasions. At dawn, the militias shelled the village of Tavrichne. Later, eleven militiamen stormed a security checkpoint near Vilkhove, Luhansk Oblast, but a Ukrainian counterattack drove them off. Automatic fire was reported by Ukrainan troops at Chernukhin, Nikyshyne and Donetsk airport. The militias fired antitank missiles in Frunze, while armoured fighting vehicles attacked Ukrainian outposts in Sokolniki. Mortar fire hit Nikolaevka, Berezhove and Chernukhin. A lonely pro-Russian tank shelled Ukrainian positions in Pisky. The attack lasted 30 minutes.

28 December
Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action over the past 24 hours in the Donbass region. Pro-Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions five times using small arms, multiple grenade launchers, mortars and artillery. The main incidents took place in Donetsk airport, Berezhove, Nikolaevka, Pesky and Stanytsia Luhanska. An elderly woman was wounded in the village of Zolote by the explosion of a mortar round.

Separatist militias carried out only two ceasefire violations in the course of the day, when the rebels shelled Ukrainian positions around Krimsky and a roadblock in Nyzhnje, both in the area of Bakhmutka road.

In the late evening, one Ukrainian soldier from the "Azov" volunteer battalion was killed when the checkpoint his regiment manning in the outskirts of Mariupol was attacked by enemy scouts. The Ukrainian soldiers returned fire, forcing the militias to withdraw.

29 December
One Ukrainian soldier was confirmed killed in action by the Ukrainian military for the last 24 hours. Separatist militias fired upon Ukrainian positions on eight occasions during the same period using small arms, mortars and artillery. The militants targeted the new terminal of Donetsk airport, Pisky, Petrovsky, Hranitne and Novotroitske. There was a major engagement between Ukrainian and rebel troops in the area of Pervomaisk. In Luhansk Oblast, the pro-Russian exchange rifle and machine gun fire with Ukrainian security forces in Stanytsia Luhanska, while mortar rounds landed in Krimsky and Chernukhin. A bomb attack in Starobilsk left one civilian resident and a soldier wounded. Separatist media claimed that Ukrainian forces broke the ceasefire on 15 occasions, four in the republic of Luhansk and 13 in the republic of Donetsk. Donetsk city was the subject of several attacks: Ukrainian troops from Pisky exchange automatic fire and rocket propelled grenades with the militias in northwestern Donetsk. The area was also hit by mortar fire. "Grad" rockets landed in the Butovka-Donetsk mining complex. Small arms fire was also heard in the district of Lenin.

President Petro Poroshenko announced that in the course of the evening Ukrainian paratroopers fought off a major assault by pro-Russian forces near Donetsk airport. Three Ukrainian soldiers and 14 militants were reported killed, while one attacker was made prisoner. Later, the Ukrainian military reported that the attack took place in the village of Pesky, and was preceded by mortar and multiple grenade launcher fire. After the ill-fated storming, the rebels resumed the shelling using rocket propelled grenades, mortars and tanks. Besides the battle at Pisky, the militias opened fire with small arms, mortars and artillery on Ukrainian troops at Hranitne, Novolaspa, Kamyanka, Hnutove, Nikyshyne and Maloorlvka. Heavy shelling resumed in Donetsk city, where artillery fire was reported in the district of Kalinin.

30 December
Three Ukrainian soldiers were confirmed killed by the Ukrainian military and two wounded over the last 24 hours. Members of the "Azov" battalion gave instead a toll of six soldiers killed and three wounded, all of them during the battle at Pisky. Ukrainian spokesman Andriy Lysenko reported 12 attacks on Ukrainian troops in the same period. Besides Pisky, the main hotposts were Hranitne, Kamyanka, Maloorlivka, Nikyshyne and Novolaspa. Pro-Russian media recorded three Ukrainian violations of the truce. According to these sources, Ukrainian tanks and automatic weapons from Pisky fired on northeastern Donetsk, while small arms fire from Avdiivka targeted militias positions in Spartak.

Separatist militias opened fire on six occasions on Ukrainian outposts in the afternoon. Mortar and artillery fire hit the villages of Orlov-Ivanovka, Maloorlivka and Opytne. Small arms fire was reported in Donetsk airport. Fierce fighting resumed at Pisky in the late evening, according to Ukrainian personnel on the ground. Pro-Russian forces stormed Ukrainian positions from three fronts supported by heavy gunfire, mortar, artillery and two tanks. The Ukrainian supreme command of the operations in the east confirmed only two shellings on Pisky by mortars and multiple grenade launchers.

31 December
One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action in the last 24 hours. Separatist militias opened fire on 11 occasions on Ukrainian troops over the same period. The rebels used small arms, multiple grenade launchers, rocket propelled grenades and mortars. The main incidents took place around Marinka, Donetsk airport, Pisky, Hranitne, Proletarsky mining complex, Debaltseve and Redkodub. Drone surveillance activity was reported east of Mariupol.

In the course of the day, pro-Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions 15 times. In this case, the militias added the use of artillery to their weaponry. Shelling and shootings were heard in Donetsk airport, Pisky, Orlov-Ivanovka, Olkhovatka, Hranitne, Vodyane, Olenivka, Avdiivka, Novoselivka and Hnutove. Drones continued to overfly the areas around Mariupol and Bakhmutka road.