MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities have begun forced evacuation from Toretsk located in the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), local administration head Vadim Filashkin said during a live broadcast of the Ukrainian TV marathon on Tuesday.

"Now forced evacuation from the town of Toretsk will take place. The evacuation from other places at the frontline is underway," he said.

On June 22-24, about 500 out of 6,000 residents remaining in Toretsk left the town, he said. "With each day and each hour, people are leaving," he added.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has repeatedly reported lately that Russian troops have been operating successfully against the Ukrainian army near Toretsk.

Toretsk is located north of Donetsk and southwest of Artyomovsk.