DONETSK, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian government forces have once again used incendiary bombs in the city of Donetsk, a spokesperson for the Vostok battalion in the Donetsk People's Republic told RIA Novosti.
"In the night, incendiary shells were fired at Vostok battalion positions located in the southwestern outskirts of Donetsk. Several fires occurred," the spokesperson stated.
He said that artillery and mortar fire continued in other areas of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). Specifically, a mortar attack was launched on the Donetsk militia near the village of Nikishino in the Shakhtarsky district.
The spokesperson also said that artillery shells were fired at the southern outskirts of the village of Petropavlovka. As a result of the shelling, a residential building and two cars were damaged. Ukrainian subversive groups have been seen engaging in activities in the village of Stryukovo, the spokesperson said.
It has also been reported that in the course of a raid on the DPR's checkpoint one militia member was killed.
An artillery barrage was also unleashed on the "Oktyabrskaya" mine, which resulted in the deaths of two civilians, the source said, adding that shells are currently being fired from the city of Volnovakha on Donetsk militia positions.
Reports on the total number of people killed during the night are still being drawn up.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a statement in which it denounced the use of cluster munitions by Ukrainian government forces in Donetsk early this October.
"… While it was not possible to conclusively determine responsibility for many of the attacks, the evidence points to Ukrainian government forces' responsibility for several cluster munition attacks on Donetsk," HRW said in a statement published on its website Monday.
HRW warned that the use of cluster munitions in residential areas infringed laws of war and amounted to war crimes.
Following the release of the HRW's statement, OSCE Deputy Press Secretary Natacha Rajakovic told RIA Novosti in Vienna that the organization has taken on board the HRW's statement on the use of cluster munition by Ukrainian government forces.
In April, Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation in the country's southeast, where independence supporters refused to accept the new government that was put in power following a coup in February.
The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics in eastern Ukraine held referendums this May on self-determination, with over 90 percent of the voters casting their votes for greater autonomy.
On September 5, the warring sides struck a breakthrough deal that resulted in the establishment of a ceasefire in the eastern regions of Ukraine. Since its coming into force, both sides, however, have continuously been accusing each other of violating the agreement.
