KYIV. March 3 (Interfax) - Ukrainian military positions in Donbas have come under fire 62 times in the past 24 hours, with mortar attacks becoming more frequent, the press center of Kyiv's army operation in eastern Ukraine has reported.
Militia forces have opened fire on Ukrainian fortifications in the Donetsk region 34 times, the press center said on its Facebook account on Thursday, adding that grenade launchers of various systems and large-caliber submachine guns were used against Ukrainian military checkpoints near Troitske, Krasnohorivka, Opytne, Peski, Zaytseve and Luhanske.
According to the press center, the militia fired 82mm and 120mm mortars at Ukrainian army positions in Hnutove and Talakivka, near the city of Mariupol, and infantry fighting vehicle weapons were used near Novotroitske and Hranytne. Militia forces also used grenade launchers of different systems and large-caliber submachine guns against Ukrainian checkpoints in the vicinity of Maryinka.
At 9:00 p.m., a militia sabotage and reconnaissance group fired hand-held grenade launchers and small arms at a Ukrainian checkpoint near Novotroitske.
Ukrainian positions in the vicinity of Vodyane, Pavlopil, Talakivka and Hnutove also came under random mortar fire.
The self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), for its part, has reported three strikes by the Ukrainian army.
"The situation can be described as stable, but tense. Three instances of shelling by the Ukrainian military have been recorded over the past 24 hours," a LPR people's militsiya spokesman told Interfax.
At 8:21 p.m., 8:50 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired infantry fighting vehicle weapons, automatic grenade launchers, and small arms against the village of Lohvynove from the direction of the Luhanske village, the spokesman said.
"There have been no casualties as a result of the strikes," he added.