Situation In the area of the Joint Forces Operation on August 20 remained completely controlled by the Ukrainian soldiers, - the JFO headquarters reported. No enemy shelling was recorded in most areas of responsibility of Ukrainian subunits. At the same time, one fact of violation of the ceasefire by the armed formations of the Russian Federation was documented near Avdiivka. The enemy made several provocative shots from a large-caliber machine gun near this settlement. The armed provocation was unaimed and did not threaten the life and health of our defenders, so the military personnel of the Joint Forces did not open fire in response. There are no military losses or injuries among the Ukrainian defenders.
The occupation authorities sent a resident of the occupied part of Donetsk oblast to a high-security prison for 11 years. This was said in the message of the press service of the so-called "Supreme Court". The man was accused of allegedly spying "in favor of Ukraine". The occupiers report that the appointed "spy" was director of one of the enterprises operating in the uncontrolled territory. He regularly made trips to the territory controlled by Ukraine, where the SBU officer allegedly recruited him. The director of the enterprise is accused of "filming the highway along the Donetsk - Horlivka route", watching the administrative buildings of the fake "Organized Crime Control Bureau of the DNR Ministry of Internal Affairs", as well as the Prague hotel. He allegedly transferred the video of the road and buildings to the SBU officers. The resident of the occupied Donetsk region was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a high-security prison on the basis of these charges.
The "DNR" occupiers recognized 41 new cases of COVID-19 coronavirus infection and two deaths over the past 24 hours. This was said in the report of the so-called "Ministry of Health". The occupiers state that one of the arrived people from the territory controlled by Ukraine is among the newly detected cases. Also, coronavirus was detected in two persons who arrived from the Russian Federation. The rest of the COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in persons who had contact with the diseased earlier, 13 of them are medical workers. In total, according to the occupiers, 2 188 cases of COVID-19 were registered in the occupied territory of Donetsk oblast as of August 20, 970 are undergoing treatment, there are 122 deaths.
The "Mayor's Office" of occupied Horlivka was placed under quarantine due to the detection of COVID-19 in one of its employees. This was announced by head of the occupation administration Ivan Prikhodko. "In connection with the detection of COVID-19 in one of the employees of the Horlivka city administration, I inform you that the Horlivka city administration temporarily stops holding receptions, the provision of advisory and other services, and the administration building is closed for visitors from today until further notice", - the self-proclaimed mayor stated. According to him, employees of the administration have been switched to remote work. At the same time, dispatching and public utilities operate in a normal mode.
A miner died at a mine in occupied Chystiakove (earlier - Torez) as a result of rockfall. This was reported by head of the city occupation administration Dmitry Lysenko. "A rockfall occurred at the Progress mine, one person died… The guy was 37 years old. He left behind a wife and two children born in 2011 and 2014. There are no more casualties", - the self-proclaimed mayor of Chystiakove (Torez) told separatist media. It was written in social networks that three more miners fell under the collapse in addition to the deceased - they were hospitalized in critical condition.
The occupied Kadiivka and Brianka were left without water supply due to another accident, separatist media write. "In connection with another accident at the main water pipeline with a diameter of 500 mm "Stakhanov - Brianka" on August 20, the water supply to the center of the city of Brianka, as well as to the Rudnieva, Ovrazhna and Kaminna streets, the dormitory of the machine plant, the seventh treatment plants and the rubber goods plant in Stakhanov, was stopped", - the message said. In addition, the settlements Almazne, Sabivka, Annenka and Lomovatka were left without water supply.