"Donetsk republic" claims Shakhtarsk was shelled with Grad launchers
DONETSK. Aug 4 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian forces on Monday launched a massive artillery strike on the center of the town of Shakhtarsk in the Donetsk region which caused civilian casualties, Novorossiya's press center said.
"The attack has left many people wounded. Fatalities were reported, although the death toll has not been counted yet. The militia is aiding severely wounded civilians," the press center told Interfax.
The Ukrainian forces had used mortars of various calibers, as well as Grad multiple rocket launchers, it said.
"Immediate reports indicate that several militia fighters were wounded. The artillery attack lasted for about four hours," the press center said.
The Ukrainian armed forces' reports about the military operation do not mention the shelling of Shakhtarsk.
Shakhtarsk is located near the place where a Malaysian Boeing crashed.
A Ukrainian paratrooper convoy was ambushed near Shakhtarsk at the end of last week. Yuriy Halushkin, acting commander of the highly-mobile Ukrainian airborne troops, said at a press briefing on August 1 that ten paratroopers were killed and 13 wounded in the fighting near Shakhtarsk on July 31. Eleven others remain unaccounted for.