LUGANSK, February 19. /TASS/. When coming across the dead bodies of foreign mercenaries in liberated Avdeyevka, Russian forces discover many of the deceased to be servicemen from NATO countries, State Duma legislator Viktor Vodolatsky said.

"We find the corpses of mercenaries in the rubble in Avdeyevka, ‘so-called mercenaries’ because these are soldiers of regular units from Poland, Germany, France and many other NATO countries that send their units here to gain combat experience against Russia," Vodolatsky told TASS.

Earlier, Sergey Rudskoy, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said that NATO military disguised as mercenaries were operating air defense systems, multiple rocket launchers and army tactical missile systems in Ukraine. Igor Kimakovsky, advisor to the DPR leader, told TASS that the bodies of military personnel with US and Polish tags were found during the mop-up operation in Avdeyevka.

According to Vodolatsky, after the loss of Avdeyevka, "some are in a panic, others are comatose" among the Ukrainian military. "This may lead to increased drone strikes on Russian territory," the parliamentarian believes. "They will be taking out their anger and hatred on peaceful citizens," he suggested.

On February 17, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Russian Armed Forces had taken full control of Avdeyevka, a key city in the Donbass region and suburb of Donetsk, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The military agency stressed that information on the advance of Russian forces had not been publicized until the complete defeat of Ukrainian troops was assured.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, following the takeover of Avdeyevka, units of Russia’s Battlegroup Center are continuing to carry out offensive actions in the DPR.

Avdeyevka is located 13 kilometers north of Donetsk.