MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. The allied forces of the Donbass republics and the Russian army gained positions near Soledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic to develop an offensive, Andrey Marochko, a people’s militia officer of the Lugansk People’s Republic, said in a live broadcast on Russia’s TV Channel One on Friday.

"In the area of the settlement of Soledar, some bridgeheads were gained to further develop the offensive," the officer said.

The allied forces continue planned operations to liberate Soledar and Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut by the Kiev regime). In the Artyomovsk area, the allied forces are ferreting out enemy fire emplacements, Marochko said.