DONETSK, July 15. /ITAR-TASS/. People’s militia fighters in the southeast of Ukraine have armed themselves with tanks, warplanes, multiple rocket launcher systems and artillery. According to the self-defense forces of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, the armaments have been taken in combat with the Ukrainian security forces. People’s militia fighters previously said that they managed to start an exhibition sample of a WW2 tank that was removed from a military memorial pedestal.

Units of people’s militia on Tuesday shelled a Grad rocket mortar battery in the base camp of the Ukrainian security forces in the Amvrosiyevka settlement. They also shelled the Ukrainian military positions near the Tarany settlement. Combat actions and “artillery duels” continued also in the vicinity of the Snezhnoye city and Dmitrovla settlement. The militias headquarters reported that “our only tank acted successfully: by direct pointing we have managed to destroy two armoured personnel carriers and four more vehicles of the enemy.”

In the Luhansk region, the militia fighters said that over the past day they have “destroyed about 100 personnel of the Ukrainian armed forces, five tanks, two infantry combat vehicles, two armoured personnel carriers and a mortar battery.” They also said they captured the crew if a downed Ukrainian Antonov An-26 plane. During one day they have downed two Ukrainian Air Force planes: a strike fighter in the area of Lisichansk and transport planes in the area of the Izvarino checkpoint.

The operation of the Russian checkpoint Donetsk in the bordering Rostov region had to be suspended again due to combat actions in the Ukrainian territory. The Novoshakhtinsk and Gukovo checkpoints are not working as well.

The authorities of the Donetsk People’s Republic have reported that they have “restored a passenger route to Russia that had existed during the USSR period” - a four-car train for the transportation of refugees from Donetsk to Rostov has been launched. The travel time is about five hours. In addition, it is planned to launch three more trains, including from the Luhansk People’s Republic.