REUTERS

Pro-Russian illegal armed groups continued provocative attempts to fire on the positions of Ukrainian military forces in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in the night from March 20 to March 21, the ATO press center reported on its Facebook page.

Militants were using grenade launchers and 82mm caliber mortars to shell the village of Pisky near the destroyed Donetsk airport six times, the report said. At 2335 Kyiv time on Friday they started using 120mm caliber mortars to shell the village.

At 0230 Kyiv time on Saturday, ATO servicemen near the village of Opytne revealed a reconnaissance group who were trying to move deeper into Ukrainian territory. The sides entered a fight during which the enemy was forced to retreat.

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It was militants' second unsuccessful attempt over the past 24 hours to bypass the Ukrainian ATO positions near that village, the ATO press center said.

The Mariupol sector saw militants firing from small arms and 120mm mortars in the direction of the village of Shyrokyne from 2130 to 2220 Kyiv time on Friday.

No attacks in other directions were registered overnight.

In total, from 2000 Kyiv time on Friday to midnight, militants shelled the Ukrainian armed forces four times, while five more cases of the violation of the ceasefire in Donbas were registered from midnight to 0700 Kyiv time on Saturday.