"Shelling was recorded from the side of the armed formations of Ukraine in the following direction: 23:55 [20:55 GMT on Saturday] Novgorodskoye - Gorlovka (Nikitovsky district): three shells of 155 mm caliber were fired," the DPR mission said in a statement on Telegram.
Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after the Donetsk and Lugansk 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 last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the Donetsk and Lugansk 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.
The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier this month that Ukrainian troops conducted around 370 artillery strikes against Russian military positions in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, as well as Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, during the 36-hour ceasefire, declared by Russia along the line of contact between the warring sides in Ukraine from January 6-7, to allow Orthodox Christians in the areas of hostilities to attend church on Orthodox Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.