Four servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed and two were wounded as a result of shelling by Russia-occupation forces near the village of Shumy, Toretsk City Council of Donetsk region on Friday.
"I can confirm that near the settlement of Shumy in Donetsk region, preliminary, as a result of mortar shelling by illegal armed formations of the so-called 'DPR', four of our servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed," spokesperson of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) Oleksiy Arestovych told Interfax-Ukraine.
He also added that two more Ukrainian servicemen were wounded as a result of the shelling. The shelling was carried out presumably from 82 caliber mortars.
The names of the victims and their affiliation with the military unit have not yet been announced.
He added that the Ukrainian side made attempts to stop the shelling within the framework of the Joint Center for the Control and Coordination (JCCC).
Currently, according to Arestovych, an emergency internal meeting is being held within the Ukrainian delegation to discuss further actions to prevent the escalation of hostilities from the uncontrolled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the death of the Ukrainian military.
As reported, specific decisions and the official position of the Ukrainian delegation will be expressed approximately in two hours.
The Ukrainian delegation to the TCG expresses its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the killed soldiers.
As reported on the Joint Forces Operation Facebook page, on March 26, the armed formations of the Russian Federation once again violated the ceasefire regime and carried out targeted shelling at the positions of the Ukrainian defenders from 82 mm mortars, automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns prohibited by the Minsk Agreements, as a result of which four members of the Joint Forces were killed, and two more were wounded.
The wounded soldiers were promptly provided with first aid, they were taken to a hospital.
"The Ukrainian defenders opened fire in response to the shelling of the Russian occupation forces. The OSCE representatives were notified of the actions of the Russian armed formations through the Ukrainian side of the JCCC," the message said.
In turn, journalist Yuriy Butusov on his Facebook page wrote that the shelling took place at 13:45.
"After the rotation of the 503rd marine battalion, Russian troops sharply increased their activity in the area. The situation cannot but cause concern, this is one of those points where the enemy is constantly conducting shelling from howitzers, mortars and small arms. It was in Shumy that the Russian command in November 2020 demanded an 'inspection' of the Ukrainian defense line. There is a high probability that a Russian attack may follow from Shumy area to capture the forward Ukrainian positions. The situation at the front requires an immediate response from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the Verkhovna Rada," he wrote.
