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Ukrainian military fires nearly 300 shells at Donetsk Republic over past day

"The government reported 42 assaults on behalf of the Ukrainian armed forces," the statement reads

DONETSK, May 21. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces fired over 300 munitions during their bombardments of the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in the course of the past day, employing heavy artillery guns, the DPR mission to the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center reported in a statement on Saturday.

"The government reported 42 assaults on behalf of the Ukrainian armed forces," the statement reads. "‘Grad’ multiple launch rocket systems as well as 122mm artillery weapons and 120mm mine-throwers were used to deliver fire in the direction of Donetsk."

The republic earlier stated in its statement that as a result of the opened fire one civilian was killed and three more were wounded, including a girl, born in 2017. The statement also added that five people, including a boy born in 2005, were wounded as well as a result of a fire from the Ukrainian troops on the residential area of Yasinovataya.

The situation at the line of engagement in Donbass escalated on February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) reported the most massive bombardments by the Ukrainian military in recent months, which damaged civilian infrastructure and caused civilian casualties.

On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Russia recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as of the beginning of 2014.

Russian President Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, noting that the operation was aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine.

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