Ukraine's defence forces have complained of attacks intensifying in size and frequency by pro-Russian rebels in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk (Donbas) regions, reporting as many as 540 violations of the ceasefire between the two sides in the last week.
On Sunday the spokesman of Ukraine's defence operations in the east (ATO) Andriy Lysenko estimated that the rebels had attacked government-held positions 80 times a day throughout the last week in the Donetsk region alone.
Today, in his daily press briefing, Lysenko said attacks were intensifying across the whole of Donbas as rebels had attacked government positions around 40 times with heavy weapons, six of those instances being tank fire, according to Ukrainian online daily Ukrainskaya Pravda.
"Over the past day in the ATO zone, the situation remained intense as rebels continue to launch provocational attacks on the positions held by ATO forces and attempt to advance on multiple points in the line of contact," Lysenko said.
In Luhansk region, not far from the town of Popasna rebels used Grad missiles, according to the ATO spokesman, but the situation in neighbouring Donetsk remains more serious.
"We recorded the largest number of attacks there, as rebels are utilising mortars, grenade launchers, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles," Lysenko said. "The outskirts of Horlivka, the region of Donetsk city airport, Marinka, Krasnogorovka, Avdiivka have been under fire."
Ukrainskaya Pravda reported yesterday that Lysenko said the rebels were firing at areas in the Donetsk region "almost around the clock".
The nearby port of Mariupol, which is a long-term strategic target of the rebels, has also sustained some attacks though Lysenko says the situation is "relatively calm" there.
Lysenko reported no Ukrainian military fatalities today, but said five soldiers had been wounded.
Tension in Eastern Ukraine has built since May when rebels shelled the town of Marinka in what was reported as the first major attempt at a large scale advance in the region since February, when the ceasefire took place.
Nato commanding officer Philip Breedlove warned last week of the danger of a return to heavy fighting in the Donbas, saying that he did not think that "Mr Putin is done in Ukraine", in reference to the Russian president. Nato has long said that Russia is backing the rebels in the Eastern Ukraine.
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