Militants have fired on the positions of the Ukrainian military in Donbas 52 times over the past day, the ATO press center said on its Facebook page on Thursday morning.

"Nine servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces sustained injuries over the day," the staff said.

In the Donetsk sector, the hostiles used a tank, mortars, anti-tank missile systems, grenade launchers of various types and heavy machineguns against strongholds in the Avdiyivka area, the staff said. Mortars, infantry combat vehicle weapons, grenade launchers and heavy machineguns were fired on positions near Pisky, and 120mm mortars and infantry combat vehicle weapons shelled strongholds near Luhanske. Various types of grenade launchers and small arms were used against strongholds in the vicinity of Zaitseve.

In the Mariupol sector, the hostiles used 122mm artillery, 82mm mortars, infantry combat vehicle weapons, grenade launchers, heavy machineguns and small arms against Ukrainian army positions near Vodiane. Mortars, heavy machineguns and small arms were used against strongholds near Pavlopil. Positions near Hnutove came under attack by 120mm mortars, grenade launchers and heavy machineguns, while a Grad Partizan man-portable rocket launcher, 82mm mortars and infantry combat vehicle weapons were employed near Shyrokyne.

In the Luhansk sector, 120mm mortars were fired near Krymske, while 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and heavy machineguns were used near Novozvanivka and Novo-Oleksandrivka.