DONETSK, July 30. /ITAR-TASS/. Separatist militias were fighting government troops to seize the outskirts of Shakhtyorsk, a city in eastern Ukraine, on Wednesday morning, Novorossiya news agency reported, quoting armed forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

Ukrainian government artillery had responded by setting an ammunition depot in the city on fire, the agency added. One eyewitness report spoke of casualties among militia fighters.

Separatist sources claimed success already in their advance. “Militia fighters have taken control of Shakhtyorsk, and the National Guard, with armored vehicles, is hiding in thick foliage,” DPR representatives said, adding they had put a tank, an artillery system and a truck out of action.