Ukraine Army breaches Donbas truce 51 times in past 24 hours - DPR
DONETSK. April 24 (Interfax) - Ukrainian government forces have opened fire in the territory of Donbas on more than 50 occasions in the past 24 hours, the Donetsk news agency reported on Friday, citing the Defense Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
"The intensity of shelling has grown. The Ukrainian side has breached the ceasefire 51 times in the past 24 hours. It again used heavy artillery weapons," the DPR Defense Ministry said.
In its attacks, the Ukrainian Army used tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, mortars, grenade launchers, small arms and artillery systems, it said.
The villages of Shyrokyne, Zhabunki, Spartak and Yelenivka, as well as the Volvo center, the Donetsk airport and the Oktyabrska mine came under fire.
"Reports about casualties among the militia and the civilian population are being verified," the ministry said.
For its part, the press center for the Ukrainian military operation in eastern Ukraine said that militia forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions in Donbas on 21 occasions on Thursday evening.
Mortars were used in attacks on the Ukrainian positions in Shyrokyne, Avdiyivka, Mayorske, Zaitseve and Orlovske in the Donetsk region, the press center said on its Facebook account on Friday morning.
Near the village of Shyrokyne, militia forces also fired 122mm self-propelled artillery systems, tanks, automatic grenade launchers and small arms, it said.
In the Luhansk region, militia forces opened fire four times on a Ukrainian checkpoint near the village of Shchastya using small arms, automatic grenade launchers and air defense systems, the press center said.
"Residential areas were not attacked over this period," it said.
Three drones belonging to the militia were seen flying over Mariupol and the Luhansk region between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, the press center said.
