Illegal armed formations attacked Ukrainian forces in Donbas 16 times in the past day, the press center of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters has said.

"Shelling of Ukrainian positions by the Russian occupation forces increased by the end of the past day in the ATO zone. If the enemy observed the ceasefire during the day, the adversaries' armed provocations in the Mariupol and Donetsk sectors became more frequent after 18:00 local time [on Thursday, September 21]. In total, the illegal armed formations violated the ceasefire 16 times in the past day. ATO forces had to fire back 12 times, as there was a direct threat to the life of our soldiers. No casualties of the Ukrainian military have been reported," the ATO HQ wrote on Facebook on Friday, September 22.