DONETSK, July 31. /ITAR-TASS/. Authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have declared a state of siege in the eastern Ukraine city of Donetsk on Thursday amid continuous shelling by Ukrainian army artillery.

“Defense Minister Igor Strelkov has signed a decree on the introduction of a state of siege in the city and mobilization of strategic resources for defense needs,” an official announcement said, adding that the move “should soon boost the combat capability of the DPR army and defense capacity of the entire Donetsk People’s Republic.”

The announcement follows martial law and curfew imposed there on July 16, introduced “to avoid various excesses and protect the lives and health of civilians and as a measure for the maintenance of law and order”.

Curfew shuts down the city between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Meanwhile, operation of the Donetsk railway has been paralyzed due to shelling by the Ukrainian security forces that started in the evening of July 30. Five railway stations came under fire, due to which five trains were cancelled. Three railway terminals were shut down.

Blocking of train traffic on the Donetsk railway is caused by the Ukrainian army’s attempts to advance to the Donetsk railway terminal with support of armored vehicles. The terminal has been shelled for 10 days with rocket missiles, says the Novorossiya news agency that was created in the Donbas region for the coverage of events in the southeast of Ukraine.