Due to the low moral and psychological state of the units of the AFU in the zone of the so-called «ATO», the LPR People's Militia took, without a single shot, a number of positions which had been previously occupied by the Kiev military. This was stated at the briefing in LuganskInformCentre by Lieutenant-Colonel Andrey Marochko, the official representative of the LPR People's Militia. 

‘Recently, in the units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, performing tasks in the zone of the so-called «ATO», there has been a decrease in the level of the moral and psychological state, evidenced by the general drunkenness among the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the elimination of the command staff from the leadership of their subordinates, and the desertion,’ he said.

‘In some areas near the contact line, the Ukrainian positions are completely abandoned by the soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as a result of which the LPR People's Militia succeeded in taking several hundred meters of the new territory without a single shot,’ said Marachko. 

‘Only since the beginning of this year, the LPR People's Militia units have moved forward in the following areas: in the area of the locality of Popasnaya, our soldiers have advanced by 300 meters, in the area of the locality of Katerinovka, they have taken hold on the Ukrainian positions, advancing by 250 meters, and in the area of the locality of Zolotoye, we have advanced by 200 meters,’ said the Lieutenant-Colonel. 

‘All attempts by the Kiev military to seize our territory have turned out unsuccessful for them, as shown by the fighting in the area of the locality of Zhelobok and the Svetlodarsk arc, where the enemy retreated, suffering significant losses,’ recalled the representative of the Defense Ministry of the Republic.