Russian-backed militants attacked Ukrainian troops in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone 11 times on Sunday, January 3, the ATO press center wrote on its Facebook page on Monday morning.

On Sunday evening, illegal armed groups twice used small arms and grenade launchers to directly shell ATO forces near the village of Shyrokyne, close to the Ukrainian-controlled port city of Mariupol.

After dark, the enemy opened untargeted fire from small arms on Ukrainian troops in the town of Avdiyivka who had been defending the Butivka coal mine stronghold.

What is more, militants deployed at the border of Donetsk and Luhansk regions opened untargeted fire from small arms on Ukrainian positions to the south of the village of Troyitske in Luhansk region. The enemy used large-caliber machine-guns near the town of Svitlodarsk in Donetsk region to shell Ukrainian troops deployed in the village of Luhanske.

"Since the beginning of the current day, militants from illegal armed formations have opened fire on Ukrainian soldiers four times already. All attacks were directed towards the village of Novhorodske, to the north of the temporarily occupied town of Horlivka, the enemy used small arms alone," the report said.

According to earlier reports, Ukrainian troops were attacked 20 times on Saturday, January 2.