Moscow, Rabi'I 17, 1437, December 28, 2015, SPA -- A patrol group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which independently monitors the conflict in eastern Ukraine, was fired upon in a rebel-held area amid a flare-up of violence in recent weeks, the OSCE said, according to dpa. The attack occurred around 11 am (0900 GMT) as the patrol, accompanied by armed pro-Russian rebels, inspected the village of Kominternove in the south of the Donetsk region, the OSCE said in a emailed statement. The patrol heard "three single shots of small arms," with the third shot hitting the ground within a few metres of the patrol, the OSCE said. "The special monitoring mission left the area immediately," the statement said, adding that there were no injuries or damage to its vehicles. The statement did not attribute blame for the attack. Russian state media reported that it was a Ukrainian army sniper who opened fire on the patrol. Two days earlier, the village of Kominternove came under intense shelling with at least 240 incoming shells observed over three hours, state news agency TASS reported. --SPA 12:39 LOCAL TIME 09:39 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w