MOSCOW, July 16. /TASS/. The liberation of the settlement of Novokhatskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) by Russia’s Battlegroup East has opened the way for the Russian army’s advance towards another sector of the border with the Dnepropetrovsk Region, The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"Service members of 36th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of Battlegroup East carried out a successful offensive operation, liberating the settlement of Novokhatskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. During the fight, assault teams entrenched in the settlement, driving Ukrainian militants out and opening the way for their own further advance towards another sector of the DPR’s border with the Dnepropetrovsk Region. Units of Battlegroup East are effectively advancing, improving their tactical positions in the south Donetsk area," the statement reads.
After conducting building sweeps in the settlement, Russian troops unfurled national flags, while engineering units launched mine-clearance operations, the ministry added.