ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/. Russian forces control the situation along the entire line of contact in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, the republic's acting head, said in an interview with TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday.

"The situation remains difficult, tense, but absolutely under control along the entire front line. The operational situation favors the Russian Armed Forces," he said.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian forces have been making unsuccessful offensive attempts since June 4, suffering losses in manpower and hardware. According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces have suffered around 7,500 casualties in their attempts to attack in the South Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Donetsk areas. President Vladimir Putin also stressed that the Ukrainian armed forces had not achieved success in any direction.