During the storming of Vuhlehirsk ( Donetsk Oblast), Russian barrier troops were used to block the retreat of Russian fighters, ATO spokesman Andriy Lysenko said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday, February 3, reports Interfax-Ukraine.

“According to available data, the retreat of militants near Vuhlehirsk was inhibited by barrier troops of the F. E. Dzerzhinsky Detached Operational Division of the Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs,” Lysenko said.

According to Lysenko, as a result of the effective response by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the firing and advance by the militants and the armed forces of the Russian Federation, significant losses were recorded among the “DNR” and “LNR” militants, the Russian “Cossacks,” the Russian mercenaries and troops, as well as the enemy’s military equipment. Lysenko noted that all this is leading to massive desertions among the illegal armed groups.

He also said that the presence of the barrier troops has been confirmed. “This is a fact and it has been confirmed by several sources, including one captive soldier during interrogation,” Lysenko said.

According available data, more than 3,000 Russian troops and mercenaries were deployed for the assault in the direction of Debaltseve, as well as more than 30 tanks, 80 armored personnel carriers, and a significant amount of artillery, Lysenko said.

Photo: Anton Golubev/Reuters

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Tags: Donbas war (2014-present), News, Russian troops, Vuhlehirsk