GROZNY, January 19. /TASS/. Ukrainian troops are slowly retreating from the Donetsk direction of the front line, which is a turning point for Russia, Apty Alaudinov, deputy commander of the 2nd army corps of the LPR People's Militia, told the Rossiya-1 television channel on Thursday.

"If our enemy says that this section is a turning point in this war, then indeed they are right, only they should look at it from the other side. A turning point for us, for the Russian side, because the enemy is already slowly beginning to move back from the Donetsk direction of this front, and naturally this is a very big result for us," Alaudinov said.

According to him, the retreat of the Ukrainian armed forces from the Donetsk direction makes it possible to free areas that were under the control of the Ukrainian side.

"If we can say that so far the Lugansk People's Republic has been completely liberated and battles were already underway for a section of the Donetsk front, there were indeed [areas] remaining under the control of the enemy. Now this is changing, the front is slowly moving away from the Donetsk direction," he added.