Ukrainian Forces Shell City of Donetsk Using 155mm Artillery - DPR

DONETSK (Sputnik) - Ukrainian troops have shelled the city of Donetsk multiple times overnight, using 155 mm artillery, the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of issues related to Ukraine's war crimes (JCCC) said.

According to the release, the village of Yakovlivka was also shelled by Ukrainian troops late on Saturday night using two 155mm caliber shells.

"Shelling was recorded from the side of the armed formations of Ukraine in the following direction: 00:20 [21:20 GMT on Saturday] Lastochkyne village - city of Donetsk (Kyivskyi district): three shells of 155mm caliber were fired," the DPR mission said in a statement on Telegram.

In two later updates overnight, the DPR mission said that the Kyivskyi and Kuibyshevsky districts of Donetsk were again shelled by Ukrainian troops using 155mm artillery. A total of nine shells were fired at Donetsk within 15 minutes.

Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow and have been supplying weapons to Ukraine.

On September 30, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, signed agreements on the accession of these territories to Russia, following referendums that showed that an overwhelming majority of the local population supported becoming part of Russia.