MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. Nona-S self-propelled artillery guns employed by Russian paratroopers hammered advancing Ukrainian army units and thwarted an enemy advance near Kleshcheyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday.

"Artillery units of 120mm 2S9 Nona-S self-propelled guns of the Airborne Force’s Ussuriysk Separate Guards Formation daily carry out combat missions to destroy Ukrainian Neo-Nazis’ manpower and military hardware that attempt to break through our defenses near the village of Kleshcheyevka south of Artyomovsk," the ministry said.

"The crews of Nona-S self-propelled guns conducted a march to firing positions, took aim and struck advancing Ukrainian army units from sheltered sites in arching trajectory, inflicting damage on the enemy," it said.

The barrage thwarted the Ukrainian army’s attempt to storm Russian positions while the Airborne Force’s artillery gunners promptly changed their positions after the fire, the ministry said.