The Battles for the Donetsk Airport – September 25-26, 2014

00:56 – September 26, 2014 – El Murid LiveJournal

Translated from Russian by Gleb Bazov

In the last hour information is coming in from Donetsk. In the area of the airport, there are artillery strikes and intense shooting. It is not exactly clear whether this has to do with the latest (the second in the past twenty four hours) attempt to break out of the airport or if, instead, the Militia is assaulting the airport fortifications.

According to the latest information, it appears that this is an attempt to unblock the airport from without by Ukrainian units. Intense shelling of the city districts near the airport is ongoing.

Yesterday’s UAV Survey of the Airport

Video: Massive Shelling Pounds the Donetsk Airport

Additional Video: Artillery Shelling near the Donetsk Airport

01:54 – September 26, 2014 – Colonel Cassad LiveJournal

Translated from Russian by Gleb Bazov

After all the battles in the area of the airport have seriously intensified. The Junta is shelling the position of the Novorossiya army; moreover, shells, primarily from cannon artillery, are flying into the city’s residential neighbourhoods. The Novorossiya Armed Forces (“NAF”) are meeting the attempt to advance to the airport from the north-east with artillery and MLRS fire, and this is characteristically notable on the video above.

It is not difficult to guess that the mass media portrayal of the “ceasefire” is increasingly at odds with the realities of the ongoing war, in which full Grad missile packets that are lobbed at the advancing troops and at the airport have become quite the usual routine.

There are not that many possible explanations for what is going on. Either the Junta has resolved to try to unblock the airport, or, more likely, decided to react to the whining of the punitive forces garrisoned at the airfield that everyone has abandoned them, that there is no materiel left and that assistance is required (see example below).

The Donetsk Airport. They are surrendering. The top military brass. But that, in itself, is not the biggest problem. The problem is in how they are going about it. They are waiting until there is nobody to defend it. They are simply stonewalling; they are not providing reinforcements or giving an order to retreat. Our sworn brothers are there. The Praviy Sector Corps, the 3rd Spetsnaz Regiment. They are being methodically shelled from 150 metres away. 152 mm artillery shells are being lobbed point blank at the buildings. All the armoured vehicles have been destroyed. The command is incommunicado; the calls are being dropped. Most likely, they have decided to leave the airport garrison to its own devices until there is nobody left. Those who fought there for two months. Bleak.

On the whole, this resembles the operation with the breakthrough of a mechanized group through Aleksandrovka to the Lugansk airport in the middle of July. However, considering the fairly dense defense formation of the NAF in this area and a significant number of artillery, it does not appear that the Junta will be able easily to realize on its objectives.

UPDATE #1: According to the so far unconfirmed information, one of the mechanized groups of the Junta was able to break through to the airport.

UPDATE #2: In the area of the Peski settlement there is a fierce battle with the use of small arms and grenade launchers.

UPDATE #3: There are reports of a guerrilla attack near Odessa.

Militiamen have attacked a checkpoint of the Ukrainian punitive forces near Odessa. An explosion took place at a checkpoint in the area of the village of Kotovka, in the Belyayevsk district of the Odessa region. According to eyewitnesses, at approximately four o’clock, Russian guerrillas reached their positions and fired on the checkpoint using grenade launchers. As a result of the attack, an APC standing was hit and losses were inflicted on the enemy’s personnel.

If this is confirmed, this would be excellent news. The attack was, in fact, confirmed. According to Odessa News – Timer, in the Odessa region, there are guerrillas with grenade launchers.

UPDATE #4: According to the information received from General Petrovskiy (otherwise known as Bad Soldier and Khmuryi), 250 paratroopers of the 25^th Airborne Brigade and approximately 600 militants of the punitive corps commanded by Lyashko broke through to the airport. At this time, our troops are holding their positions. It appears that the situation with the breakthrough to the Lugansk airport in July is repeating.