Ukrainian army positions in Donbas came under 44 militant attacks in the past 24 hours, the press center of the army operation in southeastern Ukraine said in a report posted on Facebook on Thursday morning.

Sixteen shelling incidents were observed in the Donetsk sector. Servicemen stationed in Avdiyivka were attacked by use of 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, large-caliber machineguns and small arms. A Ukrainian reconnaissance team engaged in a shootout with hostile saboteurs at about 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, forcing the enemy to retreat. Grenade launchers were fired near Zaitseve and Novoselivka Druha, weapons of infantry combat vehicles were engaged in Novhorodske, and grenade launchers, large-caliber machineguns and sniper rifles were used against Ukrainian servicemen in Luhanske.

The militants committed ten violations of the ceasefire in the Mariupol sector: 82mm mortars shelled Ukrainian army strongholds in Starohnativka, and the hostiles used grenade launchers and large-caliber machineguns in Vodiane, a tank near Maryinka and small arms in Shyrokyne.

The militants committed 18 violations in the Luhansk sector: positions near Novozvanivka, Novo-Oleksandrivka, Bohuslavske and Krymske came under random and effective fire of 82mm mortars, and grenade launchers were used in Popasna and Lopaskyne, the report said.