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Ukrainian forces shell DPR territory 75 times over last 24 hours — DPR defense ministry

According to the ministry, Kiev forces opened fire at the Izotov mine to the north of Gorlovka, the villages of Zaytsevo, Staromikhaylovka and Zhabichevo and Donetsk airport
Ukrainian troops (archive) AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka
Ukrainian troops (archive)
© AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. Ukrainian forces have shelled the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) 75 times over the last 24 hours, DPR defense ministry said on Tuesday.

"Ukrainian forces shelled the territory of DPR 75 times [over last 24 hours]," the defense ministry told Donetsk News Agency.

According to the ministry, Kiev forces opened fire at the Izotov mine to the north of Gorlovka, the villages of Zaytsevo, Staromikhaylovka and Zhabichevo and Donetsk airport.

Ukrainian forces shelled the DPR territory from their positions in settlements of Opytnoye, Peski, Bakhmutovka and Starognatovka with use of mortars of 82mm and 120mm caliber, infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and small arms.

At the last meeting of the Contact Group on January 13 the sides supported the initiative of Russia’s envoy Boris Gryzlov on ensuring complete ceasefire on the territory of Donbas. This is the seventh attempt to fully observe the ceasefire regime in Ukraine’s south-east.

Ceasefire is envisaged by the Minsk accords signed on 12 February 2015, after negotiations in the so-called "Normandy format" in the Belarusian capital Minsk, bringing together Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

The Minsk also accords envisage weaponry withdrawal, prisoner exchange, local election in Donbas, constitutional reform in Ukraine and establishing working sub-groups on security, political, economy and humanitarian components of the Minsk accords.

The Ukrainian forces and the self-defense forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics have repeatedly accused each other of violating ceasefire and other points of the Minsk agreements.