The headquarters of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in Donbas has blamed the hostiles holding Makiyivka for the attack on residential areas in the town.

"Yesterday, on October 27, illegal armed units flagrantly violated the Minsk agreements and opened massive fire from heavy weapons on ATO positions between Avdiyivka and Yasynuvata. Seeking to conceal their aggression, the occupants committed another war crime with artillery fire on residential areas of Makiyivka, a town they control. The fire was coming from hostile positions near the villages of Mineralne, Yakovlivka and Yasynuvata," the staff's press center said on Facebook.

According to the ATO HQ, the hostiles opened fire "to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the eyes of the international community and the local population, to conceal violations of the Minsk agreements by the enemy, and to intimidate the population of the occupied territories."

"We formally announce that the Ukrainian Armed Forces strictly comply with the Minsk agreements and have never used weapons against the civilian population. The ATO forces do not use heavy armaments because they have been moved to designated distances. At the same time, the Ukrainian forces retain the right to a proportionate response in case the life of their personnel is in danger and hostile attacks need to be averted," the ATO HQ said.