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Kiev forces shelled DPR territory over 200 times over last 24 hours — DPR defense ministry

According to the local defense ministry, Ukrainian forces fired 22 mines of 120mm caliber and 66 mines of 82mm caliber

© AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File

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Donbass militia down Ukrainian reconnaissance UAV

MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Kiev forces have shelled the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) 210 times over the last 24 hours, DPR defense ministry said on Wednesday.

"Ukrainian forces shelled the territory of the republic 210 times over the last 24 hours," Donetsk News Agency quoted the DPR defense ministry as saying.

The defense ministry said that Kiev forces fired 22 mines of 120mm caliber and 66 mines of 82mm caliber. Ukrainian forces also used infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers, anti-aircraft systems and small arms.

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"Among places that came under heaviest fire from heavy weaponry prohibited by the Minsk Agreements were the settlements of Yasinovataya, Zaytsevo, Krutaya Balka, Staromikhaylovka, Spartak, Mineralnoye, Dokuchaevsk; Donetsk airport; Volvo Center; Donetsk’s Petrovsky district," the defense ministry said.

At the 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 Donbass. This is the seventh attempt to fully observe the ceasefire regime in Ukraine’s south-east. At the recent meeting of the Contact Group in Minsk the participants expressed regret over continuing violations of ceasefire regime in Donbass.

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

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