Elements of the Wagner Group are operating in Artiomovsk (a.k.a. Bakhmut), and have already liberated the towns of Pervomaiskoye and Kurdiumovka, while other forces continue clearing out enemy personnel, Pushilin declared.

He recalled that almost 340 settlements have been liberated in the Donetsk region since February this year, although it should not be forgotten that Ukrainian nationalists are attempting to conduct a counteroffensive against those territories.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared on Tuesday that Russian troops recently took control of Maiorsk, Pavlovka, Opytnoye, Andreyevka, Belogorovka Yuzhnaya and Kurdyumovka.

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