KYIV. Feb 13 (Interfax) - A tank battle between Ukrainian government forces and the militia is under way in the village of Shyrokyne, the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk region, which Ukrainian forces entered on February 10, the Ukrainian special regiment Azov incorporated with the National Guard reported on its VKontakte account.
The government forces consolidated their defenses along the Shyrokyne-Kominternove-Pavlopil axis in the Volnovakha district and are fighting for the village of Sakhanka, the Azov regiment said.
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov said Ukrainian government forces had taken control of the villages of Pavlopil, Kominternove, Lebedynske, Berdyanske, Shyrokyne and some others.
The fighting near Shyrokyne and Sakhanka had continued on Wednesday and Thursday.
President Petro Poroshenko said that, after Ukrainian forces had taken control of a number of villages east of Mariupol, the de facto contact line was moved toward the line stipulated by the Minsk agreements.