MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. Russian forces are overpowering Ukrainian troops in northern Volchansk, so the enemy has sent elite army units and mercenaries there, said Major General Apty Alaudinov, deputy head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces and commander of the Akhmat special forces unit.

"Of course, the enemy is there in the northern areas of the Volchanka River. We have been pushing them, and, indeed, very large numbers of enemy [soldiers] are being killed every day. And, certainly, we are pushing forward every day while squeezing the enemy out of all their positions. Today, the enemy is incapacitated in Volchansk," the general added.

Kiev has deployed elite units to the area, he specified. "Lyut (elite assault brigade of Ukraine’s National Police - TASS), and Euro-Ichkerian shaitans (supporters of the self-proclaimed and non-existent Chechen Republic of Ichkeria - TASS), and also Italians and foreigner [mercenaries] are all there," he underscored.