According to international observers, violations of the ceasefire in the Donbass conflict region in eastern Ukraine are continuing to increase massively.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission registered hundreds of cases of shelling in the region, where Western-armed Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists are facing each other.
In the Luhansk region, 648 ceasefire violations were detected, including 519 explosions, according to an OSCE statement published late Friday evening.
For the Donetsk region, 222 violations were reported, including 135 explosions.
That was a significant increase compared to the past few days.
There had been higher numbers in the past.
The parties to the conflict blame each other for the violations.
The bloody conflict in the area in eastern Ukraine near Russia has been going on since spring 2014.
According to UN estimates, more than 14,000 people have died so far, most of them in separatist-controlled territory.
Evacuation to Russia
Meanwhile, evacuations from towns and villages in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions continued.
Thousands of people have already arrived in the southern Russian region of Rostov, where shelters have been prepared.
The separatist leadership had called for people to flee, citing an impending attack by Ukrainian government troops as the reason for their appeal.
The Ukrainian military had said it was not planning an offensive against the region.
According to the authorities, a total of 700,000 people were to be brought to safety from the Donetsk region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government in Moscow to help the refugees.
Among other things, 10,000 rubles (around 116 euros) should be paid out per person.