LUGANSK, July 1. /TASS/. Russian forces increased the pace of their advance in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in June, making serious gains in Krasny Liman and Konstantinova, military expert Andrey Marochko said.

Marochko pointed out that in June, Russian forces had liberated 20 settlements, including ten in the DPR.

"An analysis of the Russian Defense Ministry data shows that we increased the pace of liberating the DPR compared with May, and if we also take into account the serious achievements made in Krasny Liman and Konstantinovka, this highlights very tangible monthly progress. The situation in the neighboring Dnepropetrovsk Region has also changed significantly. Our units have moved from a defensive posture to attacking. The same goes for the Zaporozhye Region," he said in a live social media broadcast, citing data from the Russian Defense Ministry.

Russian president Vladimir Putin announced on June 28 that Russian forces were in control of 96% of the city of Konstantinovka. According to him, Russian troops had 149 of 11,000 buildings left to take in Krasny Liman. The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier on Wednesday that units of Battlegroup West had taken control of another 47 buildings in Krasny Liman.