AREUTERS
The first 24 hours of the "school-year truce" in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Donbas saw no complete ceasefire as illegal armed groups opened fire 18 times leaving two Ukrainian soldiers wounded, according to the ATO HQ press center.
It is noted that in the afternoon the number of armed provocations on the part of the pro-Russian militants was minimal, while in the evening hours the enemy somewhat intensified shellings of Ukrainian positions.
"In particular, the situation remains tense in the area of the Avdiyivka industrial zone. Here, for several hours since around 17:00, the gangs were firing at the strongpoints of ATO forces from grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms. The gangs also launched ten 120mm mines on Ukrainian positions. Given that the shelling by the enemy was quite aggressive, purposeful and directly threatened by our military, the ATO forces returned fire. As a result of this confrontation, two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded. Also cases of the use of weapons by the enemy were recorded in the area of the Butivka coal mine," wrote the press center.
Read alsoRussia hybrid forces attack Ukraine five times on first day of truce declared for new school year In addition, in the direction of Mariupol militants resorted to provocations firing at the Ukrainian military on the approaches to Talakivka, Hnutove, Pavlopil, Lebedynske, Shyrokine and Chermalyk.
The only direction where the militants almost completely adhered to the ceasefire was that toward Luhansk - the enemy only once fired their weapons near Malinove.
As UNIAN reported earlier, starting August 25, the so-called "school year ceasefire" was expected to be introduced in the ATO zone.