The number of shooting attacks by pro-Rusian militants in east Ukraine has somewhat decreased. Since the start of the day, around 15 cases of fire have been registered, mostly in the area of occupied Donetsk and Horlivka, the ATO press centre has said on Facebook.
The separatists used small arms, grenade launchers and large-calibre machine guns to provoke Ukrainian servicemen into returning fire near Pisky, Opytne, Avdiyivka, Novhorodske, Zaytseve, Mayorsk, Troyitske and Luhanske.
"On approaches to Mariupol, the militants carried out aimed fire with grenade launchers on the positions of security operation servicemen near Shyrokine. The security operation servicemen foiled yet another large-scale provocation by the separatists in Kominternove," the statement reads.
As reported earlier, on 22 December 2015, the security operation HQ said that Donetsk militants captured the village of Kominternove located in the neutral zone, 23 km from Mariupol.