LUGANSK, June 30. /TASS/. Ukrainian battalion tactical groups used NATO-made artillery, armored vehicles and tanks in an attempt to break through Russian defenses near Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine) in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), with all the enemy attacks being repelled by Russian forces, retired Colonel Andrey Marochko of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) People’s Militia told TASS on Friday.
"Near Artyomovsk, Ukrainian battalion tactical groups, aided by NATO artillery support northwest and southwest of the city, attempted to break through our line of defense. Western-made armored vehicles and tanks were used in the assault," the military expert said.
Russian troops beat off all the enemy attacks, preventing a Ukrainian breakthrough, Marochko emphasized.
The situation around Artyomovsk is tense but is under full control of Russian troops despite regular and chaotic shelling by the Ukrainian military, acting DPR leader Denis Pushilin said on Thursday.