The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has refuted the reports by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic that militants attacked the Mariupol sector and killed five Ukrainian servicemen on Saturday.

"At about 10:00 a.m., the enemy started shelling our positions in the Mariupol sector first with small arms, then with grenade launchers and antitank grenade launchers, and later with heavy weapons. As of 12:30 p.m., the fire intensity lowered. There was no offensive, and no armed clashes were recorded," Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman for the anti-terrorist operation Oleksandr Motuzianyk told Interfax.

"Hence, the reports on our losses are also untrue," he said.

Motuzianyk also warned militants against attempts to accuse Kyiv of using mortars. "We are not using them, as we have pulled them back in keeping with the Minsk Agreements," he added.

Earlier Russian media reported with reference to the representative of the Donetsk People's Republic, Eduard Basurin, said that militants rebuffed an attack by Ukrainian government forces, killing five Ukrainian troops and injuring eight others. "Five of the enemy's troops were killed and eight others injured. An armored personnel carrier of the Ukrainian government forces was destroyed," he said.