DONETSK, December 19. /TASS/. Ukrainian troops have abandoned a number of positions on the line of engagement near the village of Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Yan Gagin, a military analyst and an adviser to the DPR head, told TASS.

"Things are different for the enemy near Novomikhailovka. The Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw from a number of positions on the first line of defense and go deep," Gagin said.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the repulsion of seven Ukrainian attacks in the Novomikhailovka area and the destruction of about a hundred servicemen and several pieces of equipment.