Shyrokyne standoff
Shyrokyne standoff | |||||||||
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Part of Azov Regiment soldiers and armored vehicle in Shyrokyne. | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Donetsk PR | Ukraine | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Alexander Zakharchenko |
Andriy Biletsky | ||||||||
Units involved | |||||||||
Novorossiya Armed Forces
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Special Tasks Patrol Police
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Casualties and losses | |||||||||
110 killed or wounded[13] |
60–70 killed 200–250 wounded[14][15] |
The Shyrokyne standoff was a battle for the control of the strategic village of
Background
Mariupol had come under attack several times over the course of the
Events
Ukrainian offensive
Following the 24 January rocket attack, it became clear that Mariupol was vulnerable to further separatist attacks. Ukrainian forces said on 7 February that the DPR was massing forces for an attack on Mariupol. In response to these threats to the security of Mariupol, the
The new Ukrainian offensive outside Mariupol came as DPR and LPR forces were assaulting the strategic town of Debaltseve, 200 kilometres (120 mi) to the north. Accordingly, the offensive was also intended to relieve pressure on Debaltseve by forcing the insurgents divert manpower and weaponry to the southern part of the line of contact. After breaking through DPR lines, the Azov Regiment managed to quickly capture the towns of Shyrokyne, Pavlopil, and Kominternove, and began to advance toward Novoazovsk.[2] According to the battalion, Ukrainian flags were raised in Shyrokyne, Pavlopil and Oktyabr. Ukrainian forces pushed the separatists back to Sakhanka, about 7 km (4.3 mi) north-east of Shyrokyne, where DPR forces held the line.[3] Ukrainian and DPR forces continued to fight at Sakhanka on 11 February, as Ukrainian forces led by the Azov Regiment attempted to secure the village. According to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, the advance by Ukrainian forces into Sakhanka "moved the frontline to correspond exactly to the Minsk memorandum as a result of the counter-offensive".[22][23]
Shyrokyne was heavily bombarded by DPR artillery on 12 February. According to the Azov Regiment, the separatists had launched an all-out counter-offensive to curtail the Ukrainian advance, deploying tanks and artillery.[24][25] Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses amidst the bombardment, and the Battalion said that "Shyrokyne has been virtually wiped out" by the artillery fire.[26] Subsequently, the Azov Regiment was forced to retreat from Sakhanka to Shyrokyne, leaving it under DPR control. Due to the fighting in the area around Shyrokyne, local emergency authorities evacuated all civilians from the Ukrainian government-controlled parts of Novoazovsk Raion to Mariupol.[24]
Minsk II
A new ceasefire agreement, called
DPR forces recaptured the villages of Pavlopil and Pyshchevyk on 25 February. According to a Ukrainian official, these villages were in the buffer zone established by
On 5 April, a landmine exploded under a military vehicle at Shyrokyne killing two soldiers and injuring a third, a military spokesman said on the TV channel 112.[34]
On 13 April, it was confirmed the separatists had captured the village of Vodyane, seven kilometers east of Mariupol, after it was in the middle of a no man's land for almost a month following a retreat by government troops.[5] The next day, a Russian journalist was injured by a landmine in Skyrokyne during a tour as some of the heaviest fighting since February erupted.[35] By 16 April, separatists were in control of much of Shyrokyne.[7]
On 18 April, a Georgian member of the Azov Regiment was killed in fighting near Shyrokyne.[36]
In late April, Deutsche Welle reported that pro-Russian militants had set up positions in the centre of Shyrokyne and that the OSCE and Red Cross were not always granted access.[37] On 26 April, the OSCE observed what it assessed to be the most intense shelling in Shyrokyne since February.[38] It also reported Pavlopil and Pyshchevyk to be once again government-held.[8]
On 5 May, 12 hours of sustained separatist attacks in Shyrokyne against Ukrainian positions near the beach took place, after a one-hour tank assault was launched, followed by constant firefights.[39]
In mid-June, as the Ukrainian president visited government lines at Mariupol, more fighting near Shyrokyne left one soldier dead and two wounded.[40]
Separatist withdrawal
On 1 July, separatist forces proclaimed Shyrokyne to be a demilitarized zone and withdrew from the village.
As of 7 July, neither side controlled Shyrokyne as the Azov Regiment was holding positions on a nearby hill, while the separatists pulled back to another hill outside the village.
Aftermath, demilitarization
On 29 July, the volunteer battalions Azov and Donbas left their positions at the village and were replaced with a unit of active duty marines. The decision to pull out the Donbas battalion from Shyrokyne was met with protests from residents of Mariupol, who feared that the withdrawal would lead to Russian separatists quickly retaking the village and once again begin shelling the city.[46][47]
In early August, Ukrainian, Russian and OSCE representatives started forming a blueprint on the demilitarization of Shyrokyne. This was reportedly met with opposition from Mariupol residents and volunteer fighters, but the Ukrainian president stated that Ukrainian troops would remain on the heights outside the town.[48] More skirmishes took place mid-August at Starohnativka, north of Mariupol, when two Ukrainian Marines were killed.[49] Later that month, as negotiations were still being conducted for the demilitarization of the town, the Ukrainian Chief of General Staff commented that Shyrokyne had 'no military value'. This sparked outrage among some Ukrainian activists and volunteer soldiers.[50] As of mid-September, Shyrokyne had become a demilitarized zone and Ukrainian forces were preventing civilians from returning to their homes due to a large number of explosive devices remaining in the area.[11] Ukrainian military and separatist positions continued to be 300 m (980 ft) apart.[1]
On 25 February 2016, the Ukrainian military claimed that the separatists abandoned all of their positions around Shyrokyne, allowing them to take control of the town. According to the military, the retreating separatists extensively mined and booby trapped the area, with Ukrainian bomb squads still neutralizing these threats as of March 2016. Earlier, the OSCE stated that it was impossible for civilians to live in Shyrokyne.[51][52][53]
See also
References
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- ^ a b "Ukraine conflict: Battles rage ahead of Minsk talks". BBC. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ a b Staff writers; Maxim Tucker (10 February 2015). "Azov Battalion spearheads Ukrainian counter-offensive". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ a b c Alec Luhn (25 February 2015). "Mariupol, next in the sights of pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
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- ^ "Широкино стало символом бессмысленной бойни и неизбежности новой войны". vz.ru. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
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- ^ Военкоры о боях ВСН и ВСУ в районе н.п. Широкино
- ^ "Ukraine Rebels Withdraw From Front-Line Villages Near Mariupol". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ Douglas Busvine; Alessandra Prentice (25 January 2015). "Rebels press Ukraine offensive, Obama promises steps against Russian-backed 'aggression'". Reuters. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ^ Louis Charbonneau; Michelle Nichols (27 January 2015). "UN: Rocket Attacks By Russian-Backed Rebels On The Ukrainian City Mariupol Were A War Crime". Business Insider. Reuters. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ^ Pavel Polityuk; Alessandra Prentice; Louise Ireland (10 February 2015). "Ukrainian forces launch offensive near Mariupol, east Ukraine: Kiev". Reuters. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
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- ^ a b "Militants attack village of Shyrokyne near Mariupol". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
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- ^ "Defense of Mariupol: Five Ukrainian soldiers killed, 22 wounded in Shyrokyne". Kyiv Post. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
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- ^ Natalia Zinets (27 February 2015). "Deaths shake Ukraine truce; Poroshenko wary of Russian threat". Reuters. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
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