Today at 1:50 p.m., militants of the 58th brigade launched a mortar attack on Shyrokaya Balka from the outskirts of Novgorodskoye, the urgent statement by the DPR People’s Militia Directorate reads.
“According to our intelligence, the shelling was carried out by a mortar battery of the 16th battalion from the positions on the banks of a water body on the outskirts of Novgorodskoye.
It is important to note that at the mortar positions there were present journalists of two US news agencies Associated Press and PBS Newshour, along with the Ukrainian UA Donbass TV channel “UA Donbass, representatives of which were also present at the positions of the 59th motorized infantry brigade yesterday when the AFU shelled Golmovsky. The journalist teams’ activities are managed by an officer of the press service of the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters.
We do not exclude that the mortar attack was launched with a view to provoke us into opening return fire for foreign journalists to subsequently make a fake report on the violation of the ceasefire by the People’s Militia. However, our defenders did not yield to the provocation.
We urge international observers to step in and get the Ukrainian party to cease provocations that threaten the life and health of civilians and our defenders,” the PMD statement says.