DONETSK, May 17. /TASS/. Ukrainian troops have left most of their positions in the settlement of Netailovo near Avdeyevka, a spokesman for defense circles of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) told TASS on Friday.
"Units of several Ukrainian army brigades were concentrated in Netailovo. There were a lot of mobilized assault fighters and it could be seen in some places that they had no experience at all. They abandoned positions gradually, with some of them doing it quicker while some others still putting up resistance. As a result, they left most of their positions, just fleeing in some places," the spokesman said.
The Ukrainian military had been unsuccessfully trying to bring in reserves to hold the defense, he added.
Netailovo is located north of Donetsk. Ukrainian troops had been shelling Donetsk, Yasinovataya, Makeyevka and nearby settlements and key roads since 2014. Dozens of DPR civilians, including children, were killed or wounded in Netailovo as a result of bombardments by the Ukrainian army.