Donetsk forces: More than 30 Ukrainian soldiers withdrew from their positions in the province

Donetsk-Sana

The forces of the Donetsk People's Republic announced that more than 30 Ukrainian soldiers withdrew from their positions in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

"According to preliminary data, more than 30 soldiers of the Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the positions of the Ukrainian forces near the city of Nikolaevka and the town of Oktyabr," the Donetsk forces said in a statement today, noting that "Ukrainian soldiers continue to voluntarily lay down their arms and that the largest number of cases of refusal to participate in the fighting were It was registered in the 53rd Infantry Brigade and the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Forces on the Mariupol axis, south of the Donbass region.

For his part, the deputy chief of the Donetsk People's Forces, Eduard Basurin, confirmed that fighting is still continuing along the line of contact with the Ukrainian forces in Donbass.

In a statement to "Russia 24" TV channel, Basurin said that the Ukrainian forces fired about 1,700 shells, targeting more than 60 areas.

This comes against the background of the Russian military operation in Ukraine that was launched today to protect the Donbass region.