MOSCOW, May 29. /TASS/. Russian troops liberated almost 70% of Chasov Yar, a town in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Russian lawmaker Viktor Vodolatsky told TASS.

"Naturally, Chasov Yar will be liberated. We are making progress," he said. "For today, around 70% [of Chasov Yar has been liberated]."

In his words, Russian troops are coming across concrete fortifications as they progress. "We have to break each one of them open, and it takes time," he added.

The lawmaker said that many of those who surrender to Russian forces are mobilized citizens, who were "literally caught in the street."

Chasov Yar is a key logistical hub for Ukrainian troops in the east. Adviser to the DPR head Igor Kimakovsky told TASS in early April that Kiev troops had to withdraw from some of their positions in the city’s outskirts as certain strategically important fortified positions were taken over by Russian troops.