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Kiev troops shell Donetsk People’s Republic hours before ceasefire

The latest shelling occurred less than an hour before the beginning of the ceasefire

© Valentin Sprinchak/TASS

DONETSK, June 30. /TASS/. The outskirts of the town of Gorlovka in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) were shelled by Ukrainian troops on Saturday evening, hours before a ceasefire was to take effect in the area, a DPR official said.

"Shelling from positions held by the Armed Forces of Ukraine was registered in the following areas: Zhovanka-Zaytsevo and Shumy-Gorlovka, the Donetsk News Agency quoted Head of the DPR mission to the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC) Ruslan Yakubov as saying.

The first shelling took place between 19:40 and 20:15 Moscow time. Another took place between 22:45 and 23:15 Moscow time, less than an hour before the beginning of the ceasefire, which is due to take effect at 00:01 Moscow time on July 1.

The Contact Group for the Settlement of the Conflict in East Ukraine agreed a new ceasefire at its meeting in Minsk on June 27. The parties pledged to halt the hostilities from July 1 due to the start of a harvesting season.

Another self-proclaimed Ukrainian republic, the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), also said it was shelled ahead of the ceasefire.

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