DONETSK/KYIV. Feb 20 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian troops attempted to attack militia positions near the populated locality of Spartak but sustained losses, according to the authorities of the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
"Yesterday, at around 7 p.m., up to two platoons of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, supported by mortar fire from the populated localities of Opitne and Pisky, made an attempt to attack our positions near Spartak," senior DPR defense representative Eduard Basurin said at a briefing on Sunday.
The enemy was stopped, he said. "After sustaining losses in the amount of three dead and five injured, the enemy's attacking forces were thrown back to the initial positions," Basurin said.
For its part, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said one member of the Armed Forces went missing and nine were injured in Donbas last Saturday. Such are the data cited by Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianik on Sunday.
Basurin said: "Over the past 24 hours the Ukrainian armed forces shelled the DPR territory 2,453 times," including with heavy artillery.
The situation in the DPR has sharply escalated, with 30 populated localities attacked and one militiaman injured in the past 24 hours, he said.