MOSCOW. April 1 (Interfax) - Forces of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) have blocked off the outskirts of the city of Kreminna and the village of Metelkyne in the vicinity of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
"As they keep advancing, units of the Luhansk People's Republic blocked off the northern outskirts of the populated locality of Kreminna and the eastern outskirts of Metelkyne. Up to 40 Ukrainian nationalists, who acted within the 57th separate motorized infantry brigade, were eliminated and one artillery battery, two infantry fighting vehicles and four other vehicles were destroyed overnight," Konashenkov said at a press briefing on Friday.
Konashenkov said on Thursday that LPR forces were advancing on the outskirts of Sievierodonetsk.
Sievierodonetsk is one of the largest cities of the Luhansk region. The combined population of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk is almost 380,000 people.