Separatists in Ukraine used a captured rocket-launching system to shell government troops Friday, in an attack that an official says might have killed 30 soldiers. The deadly strike in eastern Ukraine comes after days of steady gains against the rebels by Ukrainian forces.
From Kyiv Post:
"About 30 servicemen are thought to have been killed in a shelling by militants using Grad multiple rocket launchers of the units of the Ukrainian anti-terrorist operation (ATO) forces near the village of Zelenopillia, Sverdlovsk district, Donetsk region, early on July 11, an advisor to the Ukrainian interior minister, Zorian Shkiriak, has said."
Shkiriak also said the death toll could rise, reports Reuters, which quotes him saying, "I think a response will not be slow in coming after this bloody terrorist act."
It seems the militants were using a mobile weapons system that can launch a barrage of rockets in quick succession from the bed of a truck. Its nickname of Grad comes from that word's Russian meaning: hail.
The attack follows recent advances by Ukraine's military, which has regained control of two key cities and other territory in an aggressive campaign over the past week.
And according to Amnesty International, the recovery of those areas has uncovered stories of abductions, beatings and other abuse, as activists who back the central government in Kiev say they were punished by separatist groups.
"Abductions have taken place across eastern Ukraine, in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Amnesty International says. "Those targeted include not only police, the military and local officials, but also journalists, politicians, activists, members of electoral commissions and businesspeople. "
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