DONETSK, November 29. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military abandoned about 200 dead soldiers in its hasty retreat from its positions near Donetsk, Yan Gagin, adviser to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), told TASS on Wednesday.

"The abandoned Ukrainian positions near Donetsk are strewn with a huge number of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers who were deserted. In fleeing the area, the enemy did not even try to evacuate them. We have counted about two hundred [of dead Ukrainian soldiers] so far," the adviser said.

Russian forces are now evacuating the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers, he added.

The adviser to the DPR head told TASS on November 10 that the number of Ukrainian soldiers entrenched in first defensive line positions near Donetsk had dwindled at least threefold due to their fleeing.