Ukrainian Armed Forces Shell Donetsk for the Third Time in One Day: What's Happening

Ukrainian forces shelled the outskirts of Donetsk three times on Thursday using mortars, announced a representative of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic from the joint center for monitoring and coordinating the ceasefire regime to reporters.

Earlier, the agency reported that the areas of "Mandrikino" and "Trudovskaya" located on the outskirts of Donetsk were subjected to mortar fire.

"At 14:45, shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine was recorded in the direction of the Veseloye locality," said the agency's representative to reporters.

Representatives from the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics declared Thursday morning that Ukrainian forces opened fire on their positions. According to Ruslan Yakubov, head of the DPR representation at the joint center for monitoring and coordinating the ceasefire, Kyiv is ignoring the Minsk agreements by using mortars and artillery.

Rodion Miroshnik, a representative of the LPR in the political subgroup, informed the media that by shelling the territory of the Donbass republics with heavy weaponry, Kyiv is deliberately violating ceasefire measures signed in the summer of 2020.

A representative of the DPR people's militia emphasized that the artillery arsenal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which is prohibited by the Minsk agreements, is positioned near residential areas in Donbass.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov asserts that Kyiv does not plan any forceful actions or military operations. He stated that Ukraine intends to act through political-diplomatic means.

Western countries, which provide diplomatic and military support to Kyiv, have repeatedly called on Kyiv to comply with the Minsk agreements during recent meetings and negotiations. Specifically, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that all parties must adhere to these agreements. According to Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to submit draft laws on the special status of Donbass, constitutional reforms, and electoral rights for discussion in the Ukrainian contact group.