LUGANSK, May 23. /TASS/. Ukrainian troops who took part in the battle for Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine) in the Donetsk People’s Republic have been deserting more frequently after losing control of the city, Andrey Marochko, a retired colonel of the People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), told TASS on Tuesday.

"After ceding Artyomovsk, those in the Ukrainian armed forces, who defended the city, have been disobeying command orders, deserting and abandoning positions more frequently," the LPR officer said, referring to Russian reconnaissance data.

Artyomovsk, located in the northern part of the DPR, had served as a key logistics hub for supplying the Ukrainian military in the Donbass and was a major fortified Ukrainian outpost. The battle for the city, which began on August 1, 2022, and ended on May 20, 2023, has proven to be one of the biggest battles to date during Russia’s special military operation.