MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. Ukrainian shelling of the Donetsk People's Republic’s (DPR) settlements has stepped up by 23% in comparison with the spring period, Acting DPR head Denis Pushilin told President Vladimir Putin.

"Over the past three months, the situation with shelling has worsened. In general, the number of shells increased by 23% during the summer months," Pushilin said.

He noted that the situation is particularly aggravated by shelling with cluster munitions. Civilians are particularly affected by them due to the large impact area and the instability of smaller munitions, which can explode not immediately but some time after being fired. For example, employees of a municipal service in the city center were blown up by an unexploded munition while working.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian army has been making unsuccessful offensive attempts since June 4. The ministry said that the Ukrainian armed forces have lost over 43,000 servicemen and about 5,000 units of various weapons, including 26 aircraft and 25 Leopard tanks in two months. Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that the Ukrainian troops had not achieved any success in any area.