These troops were generally considered less well trained and equipped than regular Russian military units, though some did benefit from prior combat experience. Separatists of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR or DNR) spearheaded the attack. While Crimea-based forces broke through Ukrainian defenses and advanced on Mariupol from the west, securing Volnovakha would allow Russian troops to descend upon the strategic port from the north, completing the encirclement and cutting the defender’s remaining supply line running along the H20 highway. 22-23 (12 am-5 am) to adjust their fire, killing one Ukrainian soldier.
When Putin launched his full-scale invasion on FebruVolnovakha was again in the crosshairs-and in fact before the war had even started, were bombarded by Separatist 152-millimeter howitzers the night of Feb. Close to separatist-held Donetsk, it was destined to remain a frontline city in the following years.
Ukrainian forces recaptured the city in July, and then defended it against repeated attacks made in Russia’s initial effort to seize Mariupol, culminating in January 2015 when a Russian rocket barrage killed 12 civilians traveling in a bus. In 2014, pro-Russian separatists seized the city after carrying out a deadly attack in May which killed 16 Ukrainian soldiers and wounded 13.
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