The operational situation in the Anti-Terrorist operation (ATO) area in Donbas remains complicated, at the same time the Ukrainian troops managed to seize a strategically significant outpost during the battle in the Avdiyivka industrial zone area, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said during the talks with injured servicemen at the Lviv military hospital.

"Today there is a serious aggravation in the Avdiyivka area: in the morning the terrorist groups started the shelling, then, two groups of the hostiles comprising 25-30 people each launched assault actions on our positions. On one of the positions this attack was stopped by the Armed Forces servicemen, on the second one our servicemen went into the offensive and seized an important outpost, which has strategic significance. Our servicemen, unfortunately, sustained some losses. The situation in the ATO area is thorny, but controllable," the ministry press service quoted Poltorak as saying.

The artillery preparation fire and assault actions by the hostiles near the Avdiyivka industrial zone (Donetsk region) killed three Ukrainian servicemen and injured a serviceman, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said earlier on Sunday.