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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Donetsk comes under intense artillery fire ahead of elections — Defense Ministry

Over the last 24 hours the shelling has left three militias dead and injured 21, one civilian has been killed and another three injured

© TASS/Alexandr Sidorov

DONETSK, October 31. /TASS/. The eastern city of Donetsk has come under intense artillery fire ahead of the elections in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, head of the DPR Defense Ministry’s political department Eduard Basurin told TASS on Friday.

“I can’t confirm. But I admit this is done to thwart the elections. During the last few days it (Ukraine) has kept silent and now it has resumed artillery fire. The Petrovka district, the Kievsky and Kuibyshevsky districts are coming under fire,” Basurin said.

Over the last 24 hours the shelling has left three militias dead and injured 21. One civilian has been killed and another three people injured, he said.

According to TASS reports, artillery fire has been heard in downtown Donetsk starting from the night of October 31. The fire continues up to now.

The elections of the head and parliamentarians in the Donetsk People’s Republic will be held on November 2. The Central Election Commission registered two public movements — “Donetsk Republic” and “Free Donbass” to take part in the elections.

Three candidates have been registered to run for the Donetsk People’s Republic head — Alexander Zakharchenko (the republic’s incumber premier), Alexander Kofman (deputy chairman of the Novorossiya Federal State regional parliament) and parliamentarian Yuri Sivokonenko.

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