The Russian military are advancing in all directions on the line of contact in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). This was reported to TASS by the acting head of the republic Denis Pushilin.

“They are moving hard, but they are moving in all directions,” he said.

On February 18, Pushilin reported that the positions of the Russian military in the Artemovsk region had improved - the army took control of the settlement of Praskovevka and thus approached blocking the remaining road to Chasov Yar.

In January, the acting head of the DPR said that Russian troops in the republic are stepping up the work of air defense systems and intensifying counter-battery combat, trying to move the line of contact away from large cities. He also stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to inflict as much damage as possible on the inhabitants of the republic and did it in the most vulnerable places.