DONETSK, February 12. /TASS/. More than 5,500 rounds of ammunition have been fired by the Ukrainian armed forces at targets in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) since the beginning of the year, leaving more than 200 people injured and another 58 dead, DPR Head Denis Pushilin told Russia-24 television in an on-air broadcast.

"Since the beginning of the year, the enemy has released more than 5,500 rounds of ammunition. This directly concerns our [local villages and other] communities. The attacks have destroyed about 390 residential buildings and 170 civilian infrastructure facilities, including cultural facilities, schools and kindergartens. And there are, of course, civilian casualties: 58 people have died since January 1, while 204 have been injured, nine of them children," Pushilin said.

The DPR head noted that Ukraine‘s use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, against the region’s civilian population has become more frequent.

"A characteristic feature in recent periods is the increase in the number of drones used, including kamikaze drones, against the civilian population, which is generally unreasonable and defies any logic at all. Since the beginning of the year, eight people have died and 39 people have been injured just from drones and from drone drops," the DPR head said.

Pushilin added that, as part of comprehensive measures to counter UAVs, more than 1,000 drones have been neutralized since the beginning of the year.