The Armed Forces of Ukraine are banned from using rockets and artillery near residential areas, former acting Defense Minister Mykhailo Koval said.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine and National Guard are banned from employing rocket artillery in residential areas," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

In particular, acting minister denied claims made in the media about a number of civilians being killed by Ukrainian forces in Luhansk region on July 2, adding that there was no military action by Ukraine there.

Moreover, he said that an event that happened in Kramatorsk, where residential houses were fired on, was a rebel provocation and an attempt to discredit the Ukrainian army.