MOSCOW, June 26. /TASS/. Russian forces are successfully holding their defensive lines in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), grinding down enemy troops, Yan Gagin, adviser to the acting DPR head, said on Monday.
"The frontline situation is stable. We are holding the line everywhere and we have not allowed the enemy to make any serious breakthrough anywhere," the adviser said, responding to a question from TASS.
It is very comfortable for Russian forces in defense to grind down the enemy "that recklessly throws new waves onto Russian combat orders, like wood chips into the fire," Gagin stressed.
"You need to understand that now in defense we work more effectively to diminish the Ukrainian army [its numerical strength] and its equipment that was also supplied by NATO. When we diminish them sufficiently, we will move forward," the adviser said.
As the Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier, Ukrainian troops have been making unsuccessful offensive attempts since June 4. Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolay Patrushev said on June 22 that the Ukrainian military had lost over 13,000 troops since it launched its counteroffensive. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukrainian troops had failed to achieve success in any of the frontline sectors.