DONETSK, July 31. /TASS/. Russian troops have evacuated most residents from the town of Chasov Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) after liberating the community, a source in Russia’s defense circles told TASS on Thursday.

The residents had been hiding in basements for a long time, waiting for the arrival of Russian troops, he added.

"The larger part of civilians who stayed there has been evacuated," the defense source said.

Russian forces still have to survey a large number of basements to see if there are civilians hiding there, he added.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported earlier on Thursday that its Battlegroup South had liberated the town of Chasov Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in an offensive in the Kramatorsk-Druzhkovka area. Chasov Yar had been one of the most fortified areas of the Ukrainian army in the Donbass region due to the complex landscape and specifics of its urban layout and infrastructure.