The Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) 28 times in the past 24 hours, killing a civilian and leaving another two wounded, the DPR mission to the Joint Center for Ceasefire Control and Coordination said in a statement on Telegram on Saturday.
“The mission reported 28 attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the past 24 hours,” the statement reads. “Reports of a killed civilian and two wounded civilians came from Yasinovataya, the Petrovsky district of Donetsk and Lyubovka,” the mission added.
A total of nine DPR settlements came under fire. The Ukrainian military’s shelling, which involved heavy artillery, multiple rocket launchers, mortars and grenade launchers, damaged nine homes and two civilian infrastructure facilities.
Tensions escalated along the line of contact in Donbass on February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics reported the heaviest shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in months. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
Treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance were signed with their leaders. On February 24, Putin announced a special military operation based on a request from the heads of the Donbass republics.
