Russian-backed forces bring Gvozdika howitzers, Grad systems to contact line in Donbas

In particular, on September 8, an SMM long-range UAV spotted 16 self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and six towed howitzers (D-30A Lyagushka, 122mm) near Buhaivka, the Luhansk region, as well as three multiple launch rocket systems (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) near Pokrovka, the Donetsk region. They were located in training areas in violation of withdrawal lines.

In addition, 12 tanks (five probable T-64 and seven type undetermined) and three probable surface-to-air missile systems (9K35 Strela-10) were spotted in a training area near Buhaivka in the Luhansk region. In a training area near Ternove, the Donetsk region, a long-range UAV spotted four tanks (type undetermined), and in a training area near Pokrovka, it spotted three self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm), three towed howitzers (D-30A Lyagushka, 122mm) and ten tanks (type undetermined) outside of designated storage sites.

The Ukrainian side of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination said that the recorded facts are a sign of the violation by Russian-backed forces of the agreements that came into force on July 27. In particular, this concerns the expansion and deepening of positions, as well as the systematic build-up of armaments and military hardware in the immediate vicinity of the contact line.

op