Timeline of the war in Donbass (January 2020)



This is a timeline of the War in Donbass, from 1 September 2018. The timeline follows an ongoing conflict between Ukraine and anti-government pro-Russian separatists supported by Russia in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.

1 January
According to the information provided by the spokesman of the Ukrainian operational headquarters in the morning, pro-Russian troops had opened fire on five occasions on Ukrainian positions on the last day of 2019. Pro-Russian authorities from Donetsk city reported two Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in two locations using small arms, grenade launchers and mortars. No violations of the truce were reported by pro-Russian sources from the self-proclaimed Luhansk Peope's Republic.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ reported two violations of the ceasefire by evening. By the end of the day a total of three incidents were registered; one Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action. The attacks occurred in the northern front, where Ukrainian positions at Novoluhanske and Orikhove were hit by small arms fire, heavy machine guns and different types of grenades and rockets.

2 January
The Ukrainian operational headquarters reported that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire three times on 1 January. Separatist authorities at Donetsk city recorded four Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in three locations using 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles and 120 mm mortars.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ reported two ceasefire violations by evening. By the end of the day, a total of four incidents were recorded.. Pro-Russian forces fired small arms, heavy machine guns and different types of grenades and rockets at ukrainian positions near Novotroitske, in the eastern area of operations, and Nikolaevka, Orikhove and Novoluhanske, in the northern front. .Pro-Russian officials at Donetsk city told the press that Ukrainiian forces engaged pro-Russian positions at Oleksandrivka, in the surroundings of Donetsk city, and Dolomitne, in the area of Horlivka.

3 January
According to the information provided by the spokesman of the Ukrainian operational headquarters in the morning, pro-Russian troops had opened fire on four occasions on Ukrainian positions the previous day. Pro-Russian authorities at Donetsk city recorded three Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in two locations using small arms, heavy machine guns and 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ said that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire on two occasions by evening. A total of three incidents were reported by the end of the day. Pro-Russian forces fired upon Ukrainian positions at Vasilyevka, in the eastern front, and Zaitseve and Novoluhanske, in the northern area of operations using infantry weapons and different grenade-launcher systems. Pro-Russian authorities from Donetsk city recorded two Ukrainian violations of the truce at Staromykhailivka, in the environs of Donetsk city, and Zaitseve, in the area of Horlivka.

4 January
According to the information provided by the spokesman of the ATO HQ there were three attacks on Ukrainian positions the previous day. Pro-Russian officials at Donetsk city reported two Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in two locations using heavy machine guns and 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles. .

The Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ reported one violation of the ceasefire by evening. A total of four incidents were reported by the end of the day. Pro-Russian forces engaged Ukrainian positions at Avdiivka, Verkhnyotoretske and Vodiane, in the eastern operational area, and Novoluhanske, in the northern front, using small arms, heavy machine guns and different grenade-launcher systems. Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded by the explosion of an improvised explosive device. Pro-Russian officials at Donetsk city recorded three incidents through the day, all of them around Donetsk city. Pro-Russian troops at Oleksandrivka, Kashtanove and Volvo Center received fire from infantry weapons and 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles.

5 January
According to the information provided by the spokesman of the Ukrainian operational headquarters in the morning, pro-Russian troops had launched four attacks on Ukrainian positions the previous day.. Pro-Russian sources at Donetsk city recorded three Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in three locations using small arms, heavy machine guns and 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ reported two ceasefire violations by evening. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another wounded by a landmine blast while riding on a GAZ-66 truck near Vilnyi, in the area of Horlivka, Five incidents were reported by Ukrainian sources by the end of the day, and another soldier was killed. In the eastern area of operations, Vodiane was hit by 82 mm mortar fire, while Pavlopil received fire from heavy machine guns. In the northern.front, Ukrainian troops at Krymske were harassed by enemy snipers. Pro-Russian officials reported that Ukrainian forces engaged their forces at Trudivske, in the outskirts of Donetsk city, Gagarin mining complex, in the area of Horlivka, and, in the region of Mariupol, Pikuzy and Sakhanka. In the main incidents, Pikuzy was shelled with 120 mm mortars, while Gagarin and Sakhanka were hit by anti-tank rockets.

6 January
The headquarters of the Ukrainian Joint Forces told the press that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire on five occasions on the past day. Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action. Pro-Russian authorities at Donetsk city recorded five Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in four locations using small arms, heavy machine guns, anti-tank rocket launchers, 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles and 120 mm mortars.

Ukrainian sources recorded five incidents throughout the day. In the eastern area of operations, Ukrainian positions at Pisky were repeatedly targeted with small arms, heavy machine guns and anti-tank rocket launchers. In the northern front, several attacks were launched several attacks on Ukrainian redoubts at Krymske using heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and 82 mm mortars. Officials from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's republic reported by evening that Ukrainian BMP-1 armoured vehicles engaged pro-Russian positions at Zholobok.

7 January
According to the information provided by the spokesman of the Ukrainian operational headquarters in the morning, pro-Russian troops had launched five attacks on Ukrainian positions the previous day; two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded. No Ukrainian violations of the truce were registered by pro-Russian authorities at Donetsk city. Sources from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic confirmed that BMP-1 armoured vehicles attacked Zholobok the previous day.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ reported one violation of the ceasefire by evening. Later in the day, two incidents were reported, both of them at Vasilyevka, in the eastern area of operations, when pro-Russian troops fired infantry weapons and grenade launchers at Ukrainian positions in the area. Pro-Russian authorities at Donetsk city reported that pro-Russian positions around Spartak received fire from 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles.

8 January
The headquarters of the Ukrainian Joint Forces told the press that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire two times on the past day. Pro-Russian sources at Donetsk city recorded two Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in two locations using small arms, heavy machine guns, anti-tank rocket launchers and 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles. No incidents were reported by local authorities in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces operational headquarters said that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire on two occasions by evening. Five incidents were reported by the end of the day. In the eastern front, Lebedinske became the target of small arms and 120 mm mortars. In the northern front, Ukrainian positions at Vilnyi were pounded with 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles, 120 mm mortars and 122 mm self-propelled artillery. Novoluhanske and Novozvanivka were hit by small arms fire and anti-tank rockets. Pro-Russian authorities at Donetsk city told the press that pro-Russian positions were attacked in a number of occasions throughout the day. Trudivske and Sakhanka were hit by 73 mm anti-tank rounds, while Gagarin received anti-tank rocket fire. Local officials from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic recorded two Ukrainian violations of the truce within the republic boundaries. Ukrainian BMP-1 armoured vehicles from Krymske launched an attack on pro-Russian positions at Sentianivka supported by anti-tank rocket launchers, while Holubovske came under the combined fire of 82 mm and 120 mm mortars.

9 January
The headquarters of the Ukrainian Joint Forces told the press that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire five times on 8 January; three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded. Pro-Russian officials at Donetsk city reported four Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in four locations using small arms, heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, anti-tank rocket launchers and 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles. Authorities from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic confirmed two Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire on 8 January.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ reported one violation of the ceasefire by evening.. Six incidents were reported at the end of the day. In the eastern area of operations, Krasnohorivka, Pavlopil, Pisky, Nevelske and Vodiane, and Vilnyi, in the northern front, received fire from infantry weapons, automatic grenade launchers, anti-tank grenade launchers and anti-tank recoilless rifles. Pro-Russian officials at Donetsk city recorded several attacks by Ukrainian forces on their positions by evening. Most incidents occurred in Volvo Center, a industrial area west of Donetsk city that came under fire from small arms, heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, antitank-recoilless rifles and 82 mm mortars. Sakhanka, in the region of Mariupol, was hit by an 82 mm mortar barrage.

10 January
According to the information provided by the spokesman of the Ukrainian operational headquarters in the morning, pro-Russian troops had launched six attacks on Ukrainian positions the previous day. One Ukrainian soldier was killed in action and another wounded. Pro-Russian authorities at Donetsk city recorded five Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in two locations using small arms, heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles and 82 mm mortars. Local sources reported one Ukrainian violation of the ceasefire within the boundaries of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, when BMP-1 armoured vehicles from Orikhove launched an attack on pro-Russian positions at Berezovske.

Six violations of the ceasefire were reported by the Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ by evening. y the end of the day, 13 incidents were recorded. In the eastern front, Vodiane was shelled from Pikuzy with 82 mm mortars. Ukrainian positions at Marinka, Nevelske, Vodiane and Novotroitskoye also received fire from small arms and automatic grenade launchers. In the northern area of operations, pro-Russian 122 mm self-propelled artillery from Zolote-5 fired upon Ukrainian redoubts around Orikhove supported by small arms, grenades launchers, 82 mm mortars and 120 mm mortars. Luhanske was meanwhile hit by anti-tank rocket fire and 82 mm mortar volleys fired from Lohvynove. Novotoshkivke became the target of 120 mm mortars firing from Holubovske, while pro-Russian forces from Gagarin fired anti-tank rockets at Pivdenne. Pro-Russian authorities at Donetsk city reported a number of ceasefire violations by evening. Trudivske and Staromykhailivka, in the outskirts of donetsk city, Gagarin and Zaitseve, in the area of Horlivka, and Pikuzy, in the region of Mariupol, came under attack. Most incidents involved the use of infantry weapons and 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles.

11 January
The Ukrainian operational headquarters reported that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire 13 times on 10 January. Pro-Russian sources at Donetsk city reported five Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in five locations using small arms, heavy machine guns, anti-tank rocket launchers and 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles. Local officials recorded two Ukrainian violations of the truce within the boundaries of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic. BMP-1 armoured vehicles from Krymske engaged pro-Russian positions at Sokolniki, while Kirovsk was shelled by 122 mm self-propelled artillery from Orikhove. Two civilian residences, a railway, a power line and a gas pipeline were severely damaged. One boy was wounded.

The headquarters of the Ukrainian Joint Forces reported two pro-Russian violations of the truce by evening. Later in the day, a total of four violations were recorded, All the incidents took place around Donetsk city. Krasnohorivka was struck by 120 mm mortar volleys. Pisky was meanwhile targeted with small arms and 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles. Pro-Russian authorities from Donetsk city told the press that Ukrainian forces had broken the ceasefire on a number of occasions throughout the day. Trudivske, Zhabicheve and Lozove, in the surroundings of Donetsk city, and Holmivsky, in the area of Horlivka, came under enemy fire. Holmivsky was hit by 120 mm mortar fire.

12 January
According to the information provided by the spokesman of the Ukrainian operational headquarters in the morning, pro-Russian troops had launched four attacks on Ukrainian positions the previous day. Pro-Russian officials at Donetsk city reported ten Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in seven locations using small arms, heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, anti-tank rocket launchers, 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles and 82 mm mortars. Sources from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic said that BMP-2 armoured vehicles from Novotoshkivke attacked pro-Russian positions at Donetskyi the previous day.

The headquarters of the Ukrainian Joint Forces recorded three pro-Russian violations of the ceasefire by evening. A total of four incidents were reported by the end of the day. In the eastern area of operations, Vodiane received fire from infantry weapons and different grenade-launcher systems. In the northern front, Novotoshkivke and Orikhove were shelled with 82 mm mortars. Orikhove was also targeted with heavy machien guns and automatic grenade launchers. Ukrainian troops at Travneve became the target of small arms and rocket propelled grenades. Pro-Russian sources at Donetsk city recorded one Ukrainian violation of the ceasefire, when pro-Russian troops at Uzhivka were harassed with small arms fire. .

13 January
The Ukrainian operational headquarters reported that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire four times on 12 January. Pro-Russian sources confirmed one Ukrainian violation of the truce on the past day. .Local sources reported two Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire within the boundaries of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, when BMP-1 armoured vehicles engaged pro-Russian positions at Donetskyi and Berezovske.supported by grenade launchers.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ told the press that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire on four occasions by evening. A total of six incidents were reported at the end of the day. In the eastern front, Ukrainian troops around Vasilyevka were harassed with small arms fire. In the northern zone of operations, Orikhove came under the combined fire of automatic grenade launchers, 82 mm mortars and 120 mm mortars; 82 mm and 120 mm mortar volleys also landed in Novotoshkivske. Zaitseve.and Luhanske became the target of infantry weapons and 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifles, while Novoluhanske was hit by small arms fire, heay machine gun fire and anti-tank rockets. Pro-Russian authorities from Donetsk city told the press that Ukrainian forces had broken the ceasefire on several occasions throughout the day. Zhabicheve, Trudivske and Volvo Center, in the surroundings of Donetsk city, Dolomitne and Krasnyi Partizan, in the area of Horlivka, and Sakhanka, in the region of Mariupol, came under attack. In the main incidents, Dolomitne and Volvo Center were hit by 82 mm mortar volleys, while Zhabicheve received fire from ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns. Ukrainian armoured fighting vehicles engaged pro-Russian positions at Sakhanka, supported by anti-tank rocket fire.

14 January
The headquarters of the Ukrainian Joint Forces told the press that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire six times on 13 January. Pro-Russian officials at Donetsk city reported eight Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in six locations using small arms, heavy machine guns, snipers, automatic grenade launchers, 73 mm antitank recoilless rifles, 82 mm mortars, armoured personnel carriers and armoured fighting vehicles. Sources from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic reported two Ukrainian violations of the truce. The Ukrainian military fired 82 mm mortars at pro-Russian positions around Holubovske and small arms in the area of Kalynove. One pro-Russian soldier was killed in action.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ reported eight pro-Russian violations of the ceasefire by evening. There were a total of ten incidents reported by evening. In the eastern area of operations, Nevelske, Novotroitske, Shyrokyne and Marinka received fire from infantry weapons and anti-tank rocket launchers. The Ukrainian stronghold of Krymske, in the northern front, came under heavy shelling, when Ukrainan positions in the area were pounded with 82 mm mortars, 120 mm mortars and 122 mm self-propelled artillery. The nearby settlements of Luhanske, Novoluhanske and Orikhove were hit by small arms fire, heavy machine gun fire and anti-tank rockets. Ukrainian troops returned fire. Pro-Russian authorities from Donetsk city told the press that Ukrainian forces had broken the ceasefire on a number of occasions throughout the day. Oleksandrivka, in the surroundings of Donetsk city, Gagarin and Dolomitne, in the area of Horlivka, and, in the region of Mariupol, Sakhanka and Uzhivka, came under hostile fire. Uzhivka and Sakhanka received fire from 82 mm mortars. Dolomitne, Gagarin and Oleksandrivka were hit by anti-tank rockets.

15 January
According to the information provided by the spokesman of the Ukrainian operational headquarters in the morning, pro-Russian troops had launched ten attacks on Ukrainian positions the previous day; two soldiers were wounded in action. Pro-Russian authorities at Donetsk city recorded six Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in six locations using small arms, heavy machine guns, anti-tank rocket launchers, 73 mm anti-tank recoilless rifle, 82 mm mortars and 120 mm mortars. Local sources reported one Ukrainian violation of the ceasefire within the boundaries of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic. Nyzhnie Lozove and Holubovske were hit by 82 mm mortar volleys.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces HQ recorded 11 incidents by evening, most of them involving the use of banned weapons. In the eastern area of operations, Pavlopil was the target of two drone strikes launched from Sosnovske. The unmanned aircraft fired six 30 mm VOG-17 grenades. Pro-Russian forces attacked Ukrainian troops at Pisky, Vasylievka, Shyrokyne and Nevelske with small arms fire and anti-tank rockets. Sniper fire was reported at Avdiivka, In the northern zone, 152 mm self-propelled artillery from Holobuvske shelled Novotoshkivke and Orikhove, supported by 120 mm mortars. Svitlodarsk was hit by 82 mm mortar fire. Pro-Russian officials at Donetsk city recorded two Ukrainian violation of the ceasefire by evening. The Ukrainian military shelled Kashtanove with automatic grenade launchers, while BMP-1 armoured vehicles from Taramchuk engaged pro-Russian positions at Olenivka.

16 January
The Ukrainian operational headquarters reported that pro-Russian forces had broken the ceasefire 11 times on 15 January; one Ukrainian soldier was killed in action. Pro-Russian officials recorded three Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire in three locations using heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers and armoured fighting vehicles. No violations of the truce were reported by authorities from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic.

The Ukrainian military said that the separatists had broken the truce on nine occasions by evening. By rhe end of the day, the same sources reported a total of 12 incidents. In the eastern area of operations, Ukainian positions at Novotroitske received harassing fire from infantry weapons and different grenade-launcher systems. In the northern front, pro-Russian forces launched a sustantial attack on Orikhove using small arms, 120 mm mortars, 122 mm and 152 mm self-propelled artillery..Novotoshkivke was hit by 82 mm and 120 mm mortar barrages. Travneve, Mironovske, Novozvanivka, Zaitseve and Luhanske became the target of small arms, snipers and grenade launchers.

17 January
The headquarters of the Ukrainian Joint Forces recorded 12 pro-Russian violations of the ceasefire on 16 January; one Ukrainian soldier was killed in action.