DONETSK, June 19 /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces fired 20 shells of 152 mm caliber at the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, the DPR mission to the Joint Ceasefire Coordination and Coordination Center (JCCC) reported on Sunday.
According to the mission, 14 shells were launched at the settlement of Panteleymonovka and six shells - at Mikhailovka.
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.
Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.