At 04:00 on Wednesday separatist militants launched a large-scale attack near Maryinka (west of Donetsk) using tanks and self-propelled howitzers similar to Gvozdika systems, and in response, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had to move previously withdrawn artillery systems forward to defend their positions.

"Today, on June 3, nearly at 04:00, Russian terrorists cynically neglecting [the] Minsk agreements launched a massive attack on Ukrainian positions. The biggest strike occurred near residential areas of Maryinka and Krasnohorivka, near Donetsk. The enemy involved over ten tanks and up to 1,000 troops against Ukrainian troops in [the] direction of Maryinka. The attack is accompanied by 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers," reads a report issued by the General Staff of the Armed Forces, which was posted on its Facebook official page.

According to the post, the Ukrainian military repelled the enemy's attack.

"To stop the enemy attack and to avoid loses among servicemen, Ukrainian commanding [officers] notifying all international partners, [that they] had to use the artillery, which previously has been deployed in definite areas in [the] rear as was stipulated by the Minsk agreements," the press service said.

The General Staff also claims that fire support for militants' offensives on Ukrainian positions elsewhere is also provided by cannons and mortar launchers which were supposed to have been moved 25 or more kilometers away from the dividing line under the Minsk agreements.