MOSCOW, January 22. /TASS/. Russian forces are engaged in heavy fighting for the city of Dzerzhinsk (known as Toretsk in Ukraine) in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Colonel Vitaly Kiselyov, a military expert from Donbass, told the Soloviev Live TV channel.
"Heavy fighting continues for Dzerzhinsk, most of which has already been liberated. Counterattacks on our positions are made every day because the city has strategic importance for the Ukrainian army’s defenses. As of today, this element is nearly non-existent, <...> as people from the main office of the Ukrainian armed forces keep complaining about an insufficient number of troops, saying that there aren’t enough patriots willing to defend the country," he said.
DPR head Denis Pushilin said on January 19 that the liberation of Dzerzhinsk would be crucial for Gorlovka, which remains under enemy fire.