MOSCOW, February 8. /TASS/. About 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers are currently stationed in the city of Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut in Ukraine), located in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Rodion Miroshnik, the former ambassador of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) to Moscow, said on Wednesday.

"According to various estimates, there are about 10,000 Ukrainian troops in Artyomovsk right now," he said on the Rossiya-1 TV channel.

Miroshnik underscored that the Ukrainian soldiers in Artyomovsk have only one option - exiting along the only available road, otherwise they will not be able to leave the city.

Fierce fighting is currently raging near Artyomovsk. On Monday, Denis Pushilin, the DPR acting head, said that Russian forces had entrenched themselves in Artyomovsk’s northern and eastern districts, squeezing the Ukrainian forces out of their positions. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russian forces were successfully conducting their offensive near Ugledar and Artyomovsk.