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Pro-Kiev military shell Donetsk airport at night — agency

According to reports, the Ukrainian military opened fire from positions in Peski and Opytnoye, using 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. Ukraine’s armed forces units at night to Friday shelled the Zhabichevo settlement and the Donetsk airport area, a source at the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) military authorities told the Donetsk News Agency on Friday.

"The Ukrainian side opened fire on the Zhabichevo settlement at about 23:00, and later on the fire was targeted also to the airport area," the source told the agency, adding the Ukrainian military had opened fire from positions in Peski and Opytnoye, using 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms.

Earlier reports were about one house damaged in shelling from positions of the pro-Kiev military.

On Thursday, the republic’s defense ministry said the Ukrainian military almost 280 times opened fire on territory of the republic, where two civilians got injured.

Kiev forces shell militia positions in Lugansk republic four times

Ukrainian forces have shelled militia positions of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) four times over the past 24 hours, the local defense ministry told the LuganskInformCenter on Friday.

The Kiev troops shelled a dirstrict of the Kalinovka village from the direction of the Luganskoye village three times. The shelling was carried out from mortars with caliber of 82 mm and 120 mm, an infantry fighting vehicle and automatic grenade launchers, the ministry said.

The Lozovoye village also came under shelling from mortars with the caliber of 82 mm from the direction of the Luganskoye village. "There are no casualties," the people’s militia said.

The Package (Minsk-2) was signed on February 12, 2015 in the Belarusian capital Minsk by participants of the Contact Group on settlement in Donbass. The Package, earlier agreed with the leaders of the Normandy Four (Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine) envisioned an overwhelming cessation of fire and withdrawal of heavy armaments to create a security area in the region at least 50 kilometers wide.

In line with the agreement reached at talks in Minsk, from September 1, 2015 there should have been a complete cessation of fire at the disengagement line in Donbass. However, the Defense Ministry of the Donetsk People’s Republic registered an increased number of shelling instances over the past few months.