Ukrainian Troops Target Donetsk Using Grad Rockets - DPR Mission to JCCC

DONETSK (Sputnik) - Ukrainian troops shelled the city of Donetsk using BM-21 "Grad" rockets late on Saturday night, the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination on the ceasefire regime (JCCC) said.

"Shelling was recorded from the side of the armed formations of Ukraine: 22:37 [19:37 GMT on Saturday] in the direction of Pervomayskoe - city of Donetsk… three rockets were fired from BM-21 ‘Grad’," the DPR mission said in a statement on Telegram.

In a later update on Telegram, the DPR mission to the JCCC said that Ukrainian troops shelled the city of Donetsk shortly after midnight, using 120-mm and 155-mm caliber mines.

Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, after the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine.

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the goal is to protect the people of Donbass, "who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years."

In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow and have been supplying weapons to Ukraine.