DONETSK, December 20. /TASS/. The Ukrainian army lost up to 30 troops and two infantry fighting vehicles in a failed attempt to retake its previous positions west of the city of Artyomovsk, Yan Gagin, advisor to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), told TASS.

"The enemy decided to launch an attack west of Artyomovsk yesterday. They expected to retake the positions they had abandoned a while ago. As a result, two infantry fighting vehicles were destroyed and about 30 troops were either killed or wounded," he specified.

Gagin added that Russia’s return fire had forced the Ukrainian troops to retreat in the area.