LUHANSK, July 4 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian snipers are shooting at cars driving toward the Izvarino checkpoint on the border of Luhansk Region and Russia, spokeswoman for the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic Oksana Zhitnik told RIA Novosti.
“Ukrainian snipers are targeting drivers going towards Izvarino,” Zhitnik said. The spokeswoman explained that shots are being fired at all the cars going in that direction and as a result people are turning around before getting to the checkpoint. Independence forces are looking into the situation but there is no data on casualties at the moment.
Kiev authorities launched a military operation in southeast Ukraine in mid-April, trying to suppress independence supporters in Donbas Region. Hundreds of casualties have been claimed on both sides and thousands of Donbas residents have fled to Russia.
After Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced his decision to end the ceasefire in east Ukraine on July 1, the Ukrainian Army resumed fighting on the Russian-Ukrainian border in Luhansk Region.
Several Russian border checkpoints have been closed recently due to bombardment from Ukrainian territory, including Gukovo, Donetsk and Novoshakhtinsk. On Thursday, Ukrainian forces fired artillery shells at a bus and the Novoshakhtinsk border crossing near Russia’s southern city of Rostov-on-Don. These checkpoints serve as the main gateways for refugees fleeing Ukraine and seeking asylum in Russia.
On the Ukrainian side, fighting intensified near the Izvarino, Dolzhanskiy and Krasnopartizansk checkpoints, which are under the control of local defense forces.
