LUGANSK, July 14,/ITAR-TASS/. The people’s militia fighters of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) have taken Lugansk airport, the Novorossia news agency reported on Sunday.

“Heavy shelling is underway. Aviation and sabotage-reconnaissance groups are used. The airport is ours. People’s militia assault convoys develop an offensive towards the city of Schastye,” it said.

Eyewitnesses reported “a strong fire in the vicinity of Lugansk aerodrome.”

According to Novorossia, the Ukrainian military started two tank attacks - in the north, in the area of Metallist (Lugansk suburb) and in the south. “Due to the lack of co-ordination, the southern group only now at about 23:30 (00:30 MSK) came to the Roskoshnoye settlement (15 kilometres from the airport),” the agency’s military communiqu· says. The militia fighters use artillery to counter the attack.

There is fire fighting in the area of the Uralo-Kavkaz, Porechye and Goncharovka settlements, “the Ukranian army is trying to cut off Krasnodon from the border.”

Combat actions in the area of the Izvarino checkpoint, located not far from Krasnodon, continue for more than a day. The Ukrainian military try to break through Uralo-Kavkaz to the eastern districts of Krasnodon. “Local residents report that the settlement has been heavily destroyed by artillery fire,” the agency says.

Combat actions continue in the area of Saur-Mogila, Marinovka and Torez (Dosnetsk region) where militia fighters’ air defence guns were firing on Ukrainian planes. “According to specified data, about 300” military servicemen surrendered near Saur-Mogila.

Six tank and one APC were previously destroyed as a result of the first combat flight of the Sukhoi Su-25 strike fighter, seized from the Ukrainian Air Force.

“According to unconfirmed data, people’s militia fighters shelled from artillery weapons the positions of punitive operation participants in the area of Vesyolaya Gora (Lugansk region),” the agency says. The Grad multiple rocket launcher systems and howitzers of the Ukrainian army are deployed there.

Meanwhile, people’s militia fighters opened fire on a Ukrainian convoy in the area of the Dyakovo settlement (Lugansk region). According to Novorossia reports, the Ukrainian armed forces “sent reinforcement” to the Zelenopolye settlement “in order to unblock the survivors.” A clash with the Ukrainian military was underway at the Krasny Partizan checkpoint.