The situation around the town of Maryinka, Donetsk region, has started to stabilize after shell attacks, the anti-terrorist operation's (ATO) press center reported.

"The situation stabilized near the residential areas of Maryinka and Krasnohorivka. The Ukrainian military held their positions. Out national flag flies above Maryinka," the press center reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, Maryinka is currently ablaze.

"Aggressors attempted a real escalation of the conflict in Donetsk direction. Within the night they with artillery and banned mortars have been shelling Pisky, Opytne, Butivka mine, Vodiane, Krasnohorivka, Nevelske, Pervomaiske, Berezove, Hranitne, Avdiyivka, and Novohryhorivka. After six o'clock in the morning the criminals have been actively using multiple rocket launchers on Pisky, Maryinka, Berezove, Nevelske, Pervomaiske and Vodiane. So, Maryinka [is] still embraced by the fires after these attacks. Russian terrorist mercenaries several times tried to storm our positions. And each time received an adequate repel," the press centre said.

Advisor to the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Markiyan Lubkivsky, reported that militants in illegal armed formations had sustained considerable causalities.

"Ten [militants] killed and over 80 wounded. The SBU reconnaissance also established that special services of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, which was involved in this operation, [their casualties] total at least 4 killed," he wrote on Facebook.

However, Lubkivsky did not discuss the number of Ukrainian casualties.