The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) has reported a significant increase in the number of truce violations in Donbas. The mission's report was posted early on Friday morning.

As of 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, "from its position at "Donetsk People's Republic" ("DPR")-controlled Donetsk railway station (6 kilometers northwest of Donetsk) observation point, the SMM recorded a significant number of ceasefire violations, including 206 undetermined explosions and over 76 bursts of outgoing small-arms fire," the report said.

"In addition, between 11:06 and 11:34hrs, the SMM heard some 26 explosions that it assessed as either main battle tank (MBT) or heavy artillery (100mm or higher caliber) fire - weapons that are restricted in this proximity of the contact line," it said.

"Most of the ceasefire violations were heard at locations ranging from 3 kilometers to 10 kilometers to the northwest, north, northeast, and southwest," the observers said.

"When the SMM left the observation point at 15:00hrs, the exchange of fire across the contact line continued," the report said.