The Ukrainian side of the Joint Coordination and Control Center (JCCC) has said that during October 15-17, 2017, illegal armed formations of certain regions of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions continue increasing the number of shelling positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the vicinity of civilian settlements.

"During the period of October 15-17, the total number of firing of the ATO positions by the illegal armed forces of the ORDLO has doubled, especially in Pavlopil, Vodaine, Hnutove, Artemove, Maryinka, and Zaitseve-Pivnichne areas (the territory of the ORDO), Triokhizbenka and Novotoshkivka (the territory of the ORLO)," the statement reads published on ATO's staff Facebook page on Tuesday.

The militants have repeatedly used weapons on the positions of the Armed Forces that are prohibited by the Minsk agreements: mortars of 82 and 120 mm caliber, as well as heavy machine guns and small arms, the message reads.

"The illegal armed formations of the ORDO had been firing from the machine guns and hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms on the positions of the ATO units in the area of populated localities of Pisky, Avdiyivka, Dutovka mine, Svitlodarsk and Kamyanka, Novo-Oleksandrivka, Popasna, Stanytsia Luhanska and Valuyske. In the Mariupol sector, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' units came under fire from grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms near Lebedynske, Shyrokyne, Talakivka and Novotroyitske," the press center of the ATO reported.

The Ukrainian side of the JCCC said that by such actions illegal armed groups ignore the Minsk agreements and demonstrate a desire to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the eve of the next meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group, as well as the desire for further aggravation of the armed conflict in Donbas.