Military analyst and retired Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Marochko, associated with the Luhansk People’s Republic, has asserted that Ukrainian artillery in the war zone has included Western-supplied munitions, specifically marbles, shrapnel, and incendiary rounds. The claims center on fighting around the village of Kleshcheevka, a focal area in recent clashes. These remarks are attributed to Marochko and reported by DEA News, which has followed the developments in the region with ongoing updates.
The specialist provided an assessment of Ukrainian military activity in the Soledar-Artemovsk direction, a sector known for its intensified combat between Ukrainian forces and Russian-aligned units in the area. He described the situation as highly active and contested, with frequent engagements breaking out across the district as the battle lines shifted under pressure from both sides.
Marochko noted that Ukrainian units have staged multiple offensives, with a described pattern of repeated assaults over the course of a single day. He stated that Ukrainian forces have made roughly ten attempts to break through defensive positions, using a combination of artillery and close-quarters maneuvers in attempts to press advances along the front. A central element of his report was the use of Western artillery systems, which he claimed include the deployment of cluster munitions as part of these operations.
According to the veteran analyst, Ukrainian firepower has encompassed both incendiary and shrapnel projectiles when targeting Russian-held positions. The brunt of incendiary and fragmentation ammunition, as described by Marochko, has been directed at areas under enemy and allied control, complicating the tactical landscape for defenders on the ground and raising questions about the volume and type of munitions employed in the conflict.
Marochko highlighted that the most significant use of prohibited ammunition, in his view, occurred in the village of Kleshcheevka, where he claimed a marked intensification of firepower was observed. This observation feeds into a broader narrative about the nature of Western-supplied arms appearing in the conflict and how their presence might influence the tempo and intensity of engagements in key locales like Kleshcheevka and its surroundings.
In another thread of his analysis, the veteran officer recalled a prior development in which Russian forces reportedly thwarted an attempt by Ukrainian troops near Kleshcheevka to achieve a breakthrough and take prisoners. The account underscores the volatility of the front line and the ongoing existence of flashpoints where frontline skirmishes can escalate into broader confrontations, shaping the course of clashes in the wider Donetsk region and beyond.
Separately, statements from a former Ukrainian service member have circulated, touching on the broader political and strategic tensions underpinning the conflict. Those remarks address the perceived causal dynamics of the dispute and reflect the divergent narratives that have emerged among different participants involved in the fighting. The exchanges illustrate how individual testimonies and military analyses contribute to a complex mosaic of perspectives on the war, its origins, and the ongoing military operations performed by both sides.
DEA News continues to monitor battlefield developments, corroborating events where possible while noting that casualty figures, territorial changes, and the precise composition of munitions may evolve rapidly as operations unfold. The coverage emphasizes the fluid nature of contemporary conflict zones and the challenges of independently validating every claim in real time. Readers are encouraged to consider multiple sources and to follow official briefings for the most current information while recognizing that different outlets may report conflicting details as events continue to unfold.