MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. Russian forces have advanced in the northwestern and western parts of Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut in Ukraine), acting Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin said on Monday.

"In Artyomovsk, the situation remains tense. Literally in the past 24 hours, our guys from the Wagner private military company have pushed forward in the western and northwestern parts of Artyomovsk. They have now approached quite a complex section - the area of high-rise buildings where the enemy has set up defenses," the acting DPR head said, replying to a question from TASS.

Russian forces are moving forward towards the railway located in Artyomovsk, Pushilin said.

"Active efforts are also underway to finally and definitely cut off the enemy’s last supply route. The battles are raging in the area of the settlement of Khromovo. Despite [unfavorable] weather conditions and the fact that the basic road is under gunfire control [of Russian forces], the enemy still has some pathways across fields. The goal is simple: to minimize and render impossible the enemy’s movements," the acting DPR head said.

Russian fighters continue evacuating civilians from Artyomovsk under the Ukrainian army’s bombardments to safer places in the republic, Pushilin added.

Artyomovsk is located on the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic and is a major transportation hub for the Ukrainian army’s supplies in Donbass. Fierce fighting for the city is underway. As adviser to the acting DPR head Yan Gagin told TASS on April 18, Russian forces control already almost 90% of Artyomovsk.

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on April 23 that assault teams had liberated two urban areas in Artyomovsk in the last 24 hours and paratroopers were rendering them support on the flanks.