Fighters of the "Center" group shared details of the liberation of Dzerzhinsk

Soldiers of the 109th separate rifle regiment of the 51st Guards All-Russian Army of the Center group of troops on Thursday, February 13, gave new details about the liberation of Dzerzhinsk (Ukrainian name - Toretsk) in the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR). The video was published by the Russian Defense Ministry.

During the liberation, the Guards evacuated a large number of civilians of the city, who were later led to Gorlovka. A senior rifleman, Yegor Yevgeniy Ponomarenko, shared that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) carried out artillery strikes against the Russian servicemen.

He also shared a story about an evacuated family. Ponomarenko noted that he remembered most of all a four-year-old girl who was drinking packet juice and milk at the same time. He added that the military tried to give the child whatever they could - an apple, chocolate, candy.

"People are waiting for some peacetime to somehow get out of there. <...> They didn't want to come out to the Ukrainian side, they were waiting for us," Ponomarenko pointed out.

Despite the stubborn resistance of the Ukrainian army, soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces (RF) engaged in small arms battles. Deputy platoon commander, Sgt. Konstantin Zakharenko shared that the Russian military went in the rear 2-3 men at a time.

"Rolling on the enemy was carried out from all sides, the enemy was disoriented, began to retreat and abandon positions," he specified.

Zakharenko emphasized that AFU servicemen do not like gun battles and are afraid of them. As a result, the Center group of troops was able to break through the enemy's defenses.

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The Russian Defense Ministry reported the liberation of Dzerzhinsk by the Russian army on February 7.

Later, on February 9, soldiers of the 132nd Independent Guards Motorized Rifle Gorlovka Order of the Republic Brigade of the 51st Donetsk Army of Army Group Center told Izvestia about the details of the combat work to establish control over the settlement. They reported that the enemy was surprised by the actions of the RF Armed Forces.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was made against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.

More topical video and details about the situation in Donbass see on Izvestia TV channel.