The Ukrainian military command in Donbass considers Gorlovka to be the most strategically advantageous direction for "tightening the loop" around the city of Donetsk, Strana.ua reports with reference to an unnamed officer of the United Forces Operation (OOS) headquarters.
"Gorlovka is surrounded by advantageous heights, including those in the village of Yuzhny; the one who owns the positions at these heights owns the city in fact. The whole city can be easily shot through from them. Thus, Gorlovka is a strategic depth for attacking Debaltsevo and Yenakiyevo. And so, the loop around Donetsk is tightened. Especially since the Ukrainian Army formally does not violate the Minsk agreements - the heights around Gorlovka belong to the so-called "gray (neutral) zone," explained the officer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Earlier, as EADaily reported, the deputy commander of the operational command of the Donbass People's Republic Eduard Basurin said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces made an attempt to attack the DPR positions in the western part of Gorlovka. "We have registered intensification of military operations in the vicinity of the Yuzhny settlement. There the enemy attempted to attack us with up to two platoons with the mortars, tanks and artillery support, but suffered significant losses," said Basurin.
According to the Donetsk command, Kiev lost at least ten servicemen killed, one tank and one infantry fighting vehicle were destroyed.
