Militant forces have stepped up their activity along the entire contact line and have conducted strikes using weapons banned by the Minsk agreements on a number of occasions, the press center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff said.

"Militants forces intensified their activity along the entire contact line in the afternoon [on Monday] and opened fire on positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces 41 times," the press center said on its Facebook account.

Twenty-one strikes by the militia were recorded in the Donetsk region, it said. Militants units used small arms and 120mm mortars against Ukrainian army checkpoints near Avdiyivka, Nevelske and Novosilki 2. The Putilovska (Butovka) mine and the area near Verkhniotoretske came under 82mm mortar fire.

Militant forces also fired large-caliber machineguns and grenade launchers of different systems at Ukrainian Armed Forces fortifications in the vicinity of Zaitseve and Mayorsk.

In a separate development, a sabotage and reconnaissance group made up of up to eight people, acting under the cover of 82mm mortar fire, tried to approach the Ukrainian army's checkpoint near Avdiyivka at around 7:00 p.m. on Monday, the press center said. The Ukrainian Armed Forces fired for effect, forcing the group to retreat, it said.

Large-caliber machineguns and grenade launchers were used against Ukrainian military positions in the vicinity of Maryinka, Hranytne, Taramchuk and Hnutove, near the city of Mariupol, 18 times, while anti-aircraft guns and 82mm and 120mm mortars were fired on Ukrainian positions near Krasnohorivka.

Small arms, infantry fighting vehicle weapons and 82mm and 120mm mortars were used against Ukrainian army fortifications near Shyrokyne.

Snipers were active in the vicinity of Shchastya in the Luhansk region, the press center said.