MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. Ukrainian forces have retreated to the west from the villages of Severnoye and Stepovoye near the city of Avdeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), which was liberated by Russian troops earlier in February, Dmitry Likhovoy, spokesman for the Ukrainian Battlegroup Tavria, said.
"In the Avdeyevka area, our units have retreated from the small villages of Severnoye and Stepovoye," he told the Rada television channel, adding that Ukrainian forces moved to more advantageous defense positions.
The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier on Tuesday that the Russian army had liberated the settlement of Severnoye in the Avdheyevka area. Apart from that, Russian forces improved their positions and repelled nine Ukrainian attacks near the settlements of Novgorodskoye, Pervomaiskoye, and Petrovskoye.
On Monday, the ministry reported the liberation of the settlement of Lastochkino near Avdeyevka, originally liberated on February 17.