LUGANSK, May 24. /TASS/. Ukrainian units have been equipping new positions and strengthening the existing ones in the Krasny Liman area in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), where Russia is currently conducting its special op, Andrey Marochko, a retired colonel of the People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), told TASS.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, the enemy is busy strengthening its positions. Across the second and third lines of defense of the Ukrainian positions, they have been additionally equipping the existing strongholds in engineering terms and putting up new fortifications," the LPR officer said, referring to Russian reconnaissance data.

According to Marochko, engineering equipment and vehicles carrying construction materials have been seen arriving at the enemy’s temporary deployment points.

Russian forces delivered strikes against Ukrainian army units and destroyed over 65 Ukrainian troops in the Krasny Liman area in the previous day, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Tuesday.