ROSTOV-ON-DON, July 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Three multi-lane automobile checkpoints in the Rostov region on the Russian-Ukrainian border have suspended their operation amid shooting from the Ukrainian side. Spokesperson for the Rostov region’s border guard department Vasily Malayev reported this on Friday.

Situation at Russian border checkpoints

“The checkpoints Donetsk, Gukovo and Novoshakhtinsk are not functioning since yesterday. The customs staff was evacuated from all the three checkpoints, and the border guard department officers are staying there. If anybody decides to cross the border in this situation, the border guards will let people pass,” Malayev said.

He added that shells have not exploded at the Russian checkpoints, however, there have been reports that a shell has fallen in the territory of the Gukovo settlement.

On Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs voiced strong protest to Kiev regarding the incident and demanded that the Ukrainian side stop shelling the Russian territory.

“The actions of the Ukrainian side are a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international law. The Russian side lodges a strong protest to the Ukrainian side and demands that shelling of the Russian territory be stopped,” the ministry said in a statement.

“If such cases repeat, the entire responsibility for their consequences will lie with the Kiev authorities,” the statement said.

Russia's Investigation Committee (IC) has instituted criminal proceedings upon the shelling at the Novoshakhtinsk checkpoint's customs station in Russia's southern Rostov region from the territory of Ukraine.

A bus terminal and a customs house were damaged by Ukrainian shells fired at Russian border checkpoint Novoshakhtinsk, chief press officer of the southern customs department Rayan Farukshin told ITAR-TASS

Ukrainian shells exploded at Russian border checkpoint Novoshakhtinsk in the gunfire at border-crossing point Dolzhansky. “Shells hit the territory of Russia and exploded, the infrastructure was damaged. The incident occurred at around 5.30am Moscow time, no casualties were reported,” chief press officer of Federal Security Service border department in southern Russia’s Rostov-on-Don Region Vasily Malayev said. In his words, the border checkpoint was suspended.

This is the third criminal case over shelling of Russia’s territory by Ukrainian forces. On June 20, Russia launched a criminal case over mortar shelling of buildings, engineering facilities and communications at Russia’s Novoshakhtinsk checkpoint.

On June 30, the Investigation Committee instituted criminal proceedings upon mortar shelling of the Gukovo checkpoint.