Illegal armed formations attacked Ukrainian troops in Donbas 25 times in the past day as a result of which one Ukrainian soldier was killed in action, the press center of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters has said.

"The past day in the ATO zone did not see drastic changes in the situation. As was the case in the daytime, the Russian-occupation forces continued shelling the positions of the ATO forces in the Donetsk and Mariupol sectors. Last night, the enemy mainly used grenade launchers and small arms against the Ukrainian forces. In total, the illegal armed formations attacked Ukrainian army positions 25 times since the beginning of the day [Thursday]. In some instances, when there was a direct threat to the life of our military, the ATO forces fired back," the ATO HQ said on Facebook on Friday morning.

Militants started shelling ATO positions near the villages of Pavlopil and Lebedynske in the Mariupol sector after 18:00 local time on Thursday. They used grenade launchers. What is more, Ukrainian troops stationed near the village of Starohnativka were attacked by an infantry fighting vehicle. The Ukrainian-controlled village of Shyrokyne survived three attacks in the past day.

In the Donetsk sector, militants fired heavy machine guns and small arms on the Ukrainian fortified positions near the town of Avdiyivka and Butovka coal mine.