DONETSK, June 28. /TASS/. The first group of refugees from the city of Toretsk has been evacuated to a rear area in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Igor Kimakovsky, adviser to the DPR head, told TASS.

"We have been able to bring the first group of Toretsk residents to a rear area. They are alive and getting the necessary assistance," he said.

Efforts are underway to figure out the extant number of those rescued and those who remain in the city.

The city of Toretsk (Dzerzhinsk) is located northwest of Gorlovka. Fighting intensified in the area in February 2022.