Photo from UNIAN
The combined Russian-separatist forces attacked the Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 44 times in the past 24 hours, according to the press center of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) headquarters.
"Sixteen cases of militants opening fire were recorded in the Donetsk sector. They fired banned 120mm and 82mm mortars and used grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms on those defending the town of Avdiyivka. In addition, at about 11:30 on Wednesday, our intelligence group entered into gunfire combat with the enemy saboteurs there. The skirmish lasted for nearly an hour. Owing to the professional actions of the Ukrainian soldiers, the enemy had to retreat," the report stated.
The militants also fired from grenade launchers near the villages of Zaitseve and Novoselivka Druha, and used infantry fighting vehicles in the village of Novhorodske and rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and sniper rifles in the village of Luhanske.
Read alsoRussian troops to provoke ATO forces to violate Minsk accords: Ukraine intelIn the Mariupol sector, the occupiers violated the ceasefire 10 times. In particular, they fired 82mm mortars on the Ukrainian fortified positions in the village of Starohnativka. In addition, they fired from grenade launchers and heavy machine guns in the village of Vodiane, and made use of tank shells near the town of Maryinka, and small arms in the village of Shyrokyne.
In Luhansk region, the enemy fired 82mm mortars 18 times on the Ukrainian soldiers near the villages of Novozvanivka, Novo-Oleksandrivka, Bohuslavske, Krymske and Velyka Kosharna.
They also used grenade launchers in the town of Popasna and the village of Lopaskyne.