DPR forces take control of Mykolaivka, Novohnativka, Bohdanivka - DPR militia spokesman

DONETSK. Feb 25 (Interfax) - Forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) have taken over Mykolaivka, Novohnativka, Bohdanivka and the adjacent areas and roads, DPR militia spokesman Eduard Basurin said.

"In the Mariupol sector, militia units have taken over Mykolaivka, Novohnativka, Bohdanivka and the adjacent areas and roads," Basurin told reporters on Friday.

The Ukrainian army has abandoned positions near Zamozhne in the DPR, Basurin said. "Servicemen of the 1st Battalion of the 36th Marine Brigade chose to save their lives and withdrew from positions near Zamozhne, leaving behind their weapons and ammunition," he said.

DPR head Denis Pushilin and his counterpart from the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) Leonid Pasechnik asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for help. A special military operation involving the Russian Armed Forces is taking place in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. DPR forces are delivering strikes on Ukrainian army positions with every weapon system in their possession.