Compared with previous days, pro-Russian militants somewhat lowered their shooting intensity on 18 March. A total of 18 attacks on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been registered since the start of the day, including 12 in the Donetsk sector and 6 in the Mariupol sector.
From midnight to the morning, the militants were firing with 82-mm mortars on the area of Krasnohorivka and with small arms near Maryinka and Novotroyitske, the antiterrorist operation (ATO) HQ has said.
At 15:00 Kiev time, they fired with a 82-mm mortar, grenade launchers of various types and small arms on the ATO positions near Avdiyivka.
They used 120-mm mortars near Zaytseve and a heavy machine-gun near Leninske.
Mayorsk's defenders came under fire from grenade launchers, heavy machine-guns and small arms.
Separatists opened unaimed fire on the strongpoints close to Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Novhorodske and Avdiyivka, trying to provoke the ATO troops into returning fire.
One Ukrainian serviceman was killed and three wounded in Donbas on 17 March.