DONETSK, June 2. /TASS/. Intense battles have erupted near Dzerzhinsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Russian troops have managed to move forward despite the Ukrainian army’s serious resistance, DPR Head Denis Pushilin said during a live broadcast on the Rossiys-24 television channel on Monday.

"Very serious fighting has erupted in the outskirts of Dzerzhinsk now. The enemy is putting up resistance but our units find the possibility to move forward," the DPR leader said.

Russian troops continue advancing in the area of the settlement of Velikaya Novosyolka and "after [the liberation of] Otradnoye, they have also achieved certain successes," he said.

In the Krasny Liman area, the Russian army’s advance has slowed down a little but all the same "the situation has improved for our units," he said.