DONETSK, June 18. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military shelled the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) more than 60 times over the past twenty-four hours, the DPR command reported on Sunday.

"Over the past twenty-four hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces breached the ceasefire 61 times," the Donetsk News Agency quoted the DPR command as saying.

"The shelling attacks targeted the districts of 21 communities," the DPR command said in a statement.

The Ukrainian army used artillery, tanks, mortars, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, grenade launches and other small arms, the statement said.

Since the autumn of 2014, the Contact Group seeking to find a solution to the conflict in southeast Ukraine’s region of Donbass has negotiated more than ten ceasefires but none lasted for long, with the parties accusing each other of breaking them down.

Ahead of the International Day for Protection of Children, the parties to the conflict had agreed to another ceasefire that came into force at midnight on June 1. Nevertheless, the shellings continue.