DONETSK, July 7. /TASS/. Russian forces have advanced in the Avdeyevka and Maryinka areas, Yan Gagin, advisor to Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Acting Head Denis Pushilin, told TASS.

"There has been some progress in the Maryinka and Avdeyevka areas. Active defensive efforts are yielding positive results. The Ukrainian armed forces are losing dozens of troops, crashing into our defenses," he said.

Gagin also pointed to encouraging trends along other sectors of the line of engagement, including around the city of Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut in Ukraine), which was liberated on May 20.

Pushilin said on Thursday that Russian forces active in the Maryinka area near Donetsk had succeeded in taking one of the Ukrainian armed forces’ fortified sites.