Battle of Novoazovsk
Part of the war in Donbas and
the Russo-Ukrainian War
Date25–28 August 2014
(3 days)
Location
Novoazovsk
Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
47°6′53″N 38°4′48″E / 47.11472°N 38.08000°E / 47.11472; 38.08000
Result

DPR victory

Belligerents
 Ukraine Donetsk People's Republic
 Russia (denied by Russia)[1]
Commanders and leaders
Ukraine Valeriy Heletey
Andriy Biletsky		 Alexander Zakharchenko
Units involved

Armed Forces of Ukraine:

Internal Affairs Ministry:

 Donbass People's Militia
Russian Armed Forces (denied by Russia)
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

Insurgents affiliated with the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), backed by Russian troops, opened a new front in the war in Donbas on 25 August 2014, when they attacked the Ukrainian government-controlled city of Novoazovsk in southern Donetsk. Government forces were forced to retreat from Novoazovsk to the city of Mariupol, leaving DPR forces in control.

Events

DPR forces stated their intention to "fight their way to the Azov Sea" on 23 August.[2] In line with this statement, an artillery barrage was launched at the coastal city of Novoazovsk, in southern Donetsk Oblast.[2] A column of armoured vehicles crossed into Ukraine from Russia near Novoazovsk on 25 August.[3][4][5] There had been no insurgent formations within 30 kilometres (18+2⁄3 mi) of this area for many weeks.[6] Heavy fighting took place in the village of Markyne, 7 kilometres (4+1⁄4 mi) from Novoazovsk. Insurgents used the village to shell Novoazovsk.[7] A spokesman for the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC) said that the entrance of the column into Ukraine was an attempt "by the Russian military in the guise of Donbas fighters to open a new area of military confrontation".[3] According to the Mariupol city website, the Dnipro and Donbas battalions repelled the attack, and the "invaders" retreated to the border.[8] The Ukrainian military spokesman Andryi Lysenko claimed two Russian tanks destroyed and 10 members of "an intelligence-sabotage group" captured.[9] Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had no knowledge of the incident, and suggested that reports of the incident being an incursion by Russian forces were "disinformation."[10] Directly prior to the appearance of the column, the area was heavily shelled. The nearest insurgent artillery positions were well beyond the range of this area.[6]

DPR insurgents, with Russian support, shelled Novoazovsk from across the Russian border on 26 August. Ukrainian border guards stationed at the Novoazovsk–Veselo–Voznesenka border-crossing showed craters that they said were caused by shelling from Russian territory. Russia denied any involvement, and said that DPR forces had been acting on their own.[11] According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, this shelling was an attempt to take-out Ukrainian artillery positions in the area.[12] As the shelling occurred, smoke could be seen rising over the city, whilst many residents fled in cars and lorries.[13] Four civilians were wounded in the shelling.

Insurgents pushed into Novoazovsk on 27 August.[14][15] Whilst the Ukrainian government said they were in "total control" of Novoazovsk, town mayor Oleg Sidorkin confirmed that the insurgents had captured it.[15] He also said that "dozens" of tanks and armoured vehicles had been used by the insurgents in their assault on the town. At least four civilians were injured by insurgent shelling. To the north, close to Starobesheve, Ukrainian forces said that they spotted a column of 100 armoured vehicles, tanks, and Grad rocket lorries that was heading south, toward Novoazovsk.[15] They said these vehicles were marked with "white circles or triangles", similar to white armbands seen on Russian paratroopers that were captured by government forces in Ukrainian territory a few days earlier. Amidst pressure on this new third front, government forces retreated westward toward Mariupol.[14] A statement by the NSDC later said that Novoazovsk had been captured by "Russian troops", despite earlier denials by the Ukrainian government.[16] According to the NSDC, Ukrainian troops withdrew from Novoazovsk to save lives, and were instead preparing defences in Mariupol.

Russian involvement

Ukraine and western governments say that Russian troops either facilitated or took part in the attack on Novoazovsk.[17] By the time that the city fell to the attackers, NATO said that there were at least 1,000 Russian soldiers operating on Ukrainian soil. One DPR commander said that his own forces took over Novoazovsk, and that he had support from "Russian volunteers". By 1 September, Russian troops seemed to have vanished from the town, which was then being guarded by DPR insurgents.[17] Despite this, some locals said that there were "little green men" outside the town, referencing a term used during the events that led to the annexation of Crimea by Russia to refer to the unmarked Russian forces that took over the peninsula in February 2014.[17] As the battle was ongoing in Novoazovsk, the NSDC released a video showing a T-72 tank in Novoazovsk. The government of Ukraine said that this was proof of the presence of Russian troops on Ukrainian soil.[18][19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Силы АТО оставили Новоазовск и готовятся защищать Мариуполь (ВИДЕО+Дополнено)". 27 August 2014. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Donetsk Militia Fighting its Way to Azov Sea". RIA Novosti. 23 August 2014. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 "'Column from Russia' moves on Mariupol". BBC News. 25 August 2014. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Gordon, Michael (22 August 2014). "Russia Moves Artillery Units into Ukraine, NATO Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  5. ↑ Kramer, Andrew. "Ukraine Says Russian Forces Lead Major New Offensive in East". CNBC. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2017. Tanks, artillery and infantry have crossed from Russia into an unbreached part of eastern Ukraine in recent days, attacking Ukrainian forces and causing panic and wholesale retreat not only in this small border town but a wide swath of territory, in what Ukrainian and Western military officials are calling a stealth invasion.
  6. 1 2 Christian Lowe; Maria Tsvetkova (26 August 2014). "In Ukraine, an armoured column appears out of nowhere". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "Ukraine accuses Russia of opening new front before leaders' meeting". Reuters. 25 August 2014. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Terrorists retreating from Novoazovsk to border". National News Agency of Ukraine. 25 August 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "Slim chance of progress as Russian and Ukrainian leaders meet". Reuters. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  10. ↑ Richard Balmforth (25 August 2014). "Ukraine Accuses Russia of Opening New Front Before Putin-Poroshenko Meeting". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Exclusive: In Ukraine, an armored column appears out of nowhere". Reuters. 26 August 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  12. ↑ Christian Lowe; Maria Tsvetkova (26 August 2014). "Ukraine crisis: Poroshenko says 'roadmap' to ceasefire with Russia possible". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "Ukraine: Watch smoke rise as shelling pummels Novoazovsk". RuptlyTV. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  14. 1 2 "Ukraine Reports Russian Invasion on a New Front". The New York Times. 27 August 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 "Rebels push into port of Novoazovsk". BBC News. 27 August 2014. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  16. ↑ "'Russian troops deployed' in Ukraine - Poroshenko". BBC News. 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  17. 1 2 3 "For now, a tense quiet in Ukraine's eastern front". Al Jazeera. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  18. ↑ "Ukraine releases video of purported Russian tank in Novoazovsk". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  19. ↑ "Ukraine video 'of Russian tank in Novoazovsk'". World News Report. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
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