MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. Ukrainian forces have retreated to the western part of the village of Lastochkino northwest of the city of Avdeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), which was liberated by Russian troops earlier in February, Dmitry Likhovoy, spokesman for the Ukrainian Battlegroup Tavria, said.

"In the Avdeyevka area, units of the Ukrainian self-defense forces have retreated to the western neighborhoods of the settlement of Lastochkino, where they have taken defense positions," the Ukrainskaya Pravda news outlet quoted him as saying.

On February 17, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu informed President Vladimir Putin that the Russian army had taken control of the city of Avdeyevka. On February 24, adviser to the DPR head Igor Kimakovsky told TASS that Ukrainian troops had left some of their positions near Avdeyevka, including in Lastochkino.