Pro-Russian militant shelled Ukrainian forces and residential areas over 150 times in the past three days—ATO Spokesperson

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Kyiv, July 3, 2015. The situation in the ATO zone in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remains tense. Militants shelled Ukrainian military positions over 150 times during the past three days. Pro-Russian militant groups committed new violations of the Minsk agreements along the demarcation line, said Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Hutsulyak, ATO Staff spokesperson, via Skype at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

“The enemy was using prohibited 152mm cannons, 122mm howitzers, 120 mortars and tanks. Opytne, Pisky, Tryokhizbenka, Leninske, Stanytsya Luhanska, Starohnativka, Maryinka and Mayorsk suffered the most from shelling. We emphasize that Ukrainian forces retort only with weapons allowed by the Minsk agreements and only in cases of direct threats to lives of servicemen or civilians,” Lt. Col. Hutsulyak said.

Between midnight and 6 a.m., Ukrainian servicemen recorded three separate shelling incidents. “The enemy shelled Ukrainian troop positions near Rasadka in Donetsk region using small arms. Around 1 a.m., pro-Russian occupiers deployed artillery and shelled the outskirts of Tryokhizbenka with 152mm cannons,” Col. Hutsulyak said.