LUGANSK, April 28. /TASS/. After liberating Ilyichovka in the Donetsk People's Republic and reaching the northern bank of the Seversky Donets River, the Russian Armed Forces will be able to advance towards Slavyansk, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS.

Marochko previously told TASS that Russian troops, having captured Ilyichovka on April 27, would continue to advance near Dibrova, Krivaya Luka, and Ilyichovka itself. "The main objective of the advance near Ilyichovka, in my opinion, is to reach the Seversky Donets, its northern bank. And, naturally, our troops will operate in this direction in order to prepare a good foothold for an advance westward toward the settlement of Slavyansk," the expert said.

Earlier, Marochko told TASS that Ukrainian troops were gradually beginning to leave Slavyansk and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, because the Ukrainian military command "understands the fate of these settlements."