DONETSK, March 19. /TASS/. Forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic have liberated 98 settlements, including the city of Ugledar, since February 24, the DPR territorial defense headquarters said on Saturday.

"As of March 19, 2022, the DPR troops have liberated 98 settlements, including Ugledar," it wrote on its Telegram channel.

The DPR People’s Militia said earlier on Saturday that it has begun an operation to liberate the city of Maryinka west of Donetsk, where Ukrainian troops shelled Donetsk from.

Following a dramatic deterioration of the situation in Donbass on February 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 21 announced a decision to recognize the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics within the boundaries commited to paper in their constitutions. The treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual aid were signed with their leaders. On February 22, the State Duma and the Federation Council ratified both documents and Putin signed the respective laws on the same day. On February 24, Putin said that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country.