MOSCOW. Feb 7 (Interfax) - Control over Dzerzhinsk (Toretsk) in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) will make it possible to take offensive actions and reach the flank of a Ukrainian group of forces, the Russian military said.
"Control over this important defense center opens up the way for the liberation of Konstantinovka and for reaching the flank of the enemy's Kramatorsk group," the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
The city was turned into a powerful fortified district with a developed underground communication network, it said.
"Practically every building was a well-equipped in terms of engineering and protected long-term fire point. Gob piles and mines located in the northern and western parts of the city were also used for defense," the ministry said.
"To keep Dzerzhinsk and the other populated areas included in the Toretsk agglomeration, the enemy sent considerable forces, eight brigades. In total up to 50 battalions. The enemy group comprised in total more than 40,000 troops," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
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