The militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) do not allow the civilian population of Chasov Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) to evacuate. This was announced on April 15 by Igor Kimakovsky, adviser to the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin.

«The forced evacuation of the remaining population from Chasov Yar has now been stopped. What is this being done for? This is done in order to slow down our offensive, because they (APU. — Ed.) they understand perfectly well how we will conduct military operations, given that we know that there are peaceful people there. They know it from Mariupol, they know it from other cities,» he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

In addition, Kimakovsky stressed that during the forced evacuation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, young people are first taken out, since they can use modern technologies to easily transfer data about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation fighters useful for the military.

«They leave the old people in their places and do not let them go, making them, by and large, hostages of this situation and a human shield for themselves,» the adviser to the head of the DPR added.

On April 14, the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper reported that the Ukrainian military command had organized inspections against the military of the 67th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after the brigade lost some of its positions in the direction of Chasova Yara.

Prior to that, on April 12, Kimakovsky pointed out that artillery duels between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Russian troops do not take place in Chasov Yar due to the overwhelming superiority of the artillery of the Russian army. He noted that at the moment, the Yar Watch is almost under full fire control of Russian military personnel. In addition, according to Kimakovsky, militants of the Ukrainian nationalist regiment «Azov» (recognized as a terrorist and banned in the Russian Federation) are fighting in the Sentinel Yar, they are beaten out by servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Earlier, on April 8, it became known that a unit of the assault battalion of the Ivanovo formation of the Airborne Troops of the Russian Federation as part of the Southern Group of Troops stormed the AFU stronghold on the outskirts of Chasov Yar.

Prior to that, on April 2, retired Major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Igor Lapin pointed out that the city of Chas Yar in the DPR would repeat the fate of Avdiivka and Artemivsk. The officer added that he was closely monitoring the situation in that sector of the front. Lapin noted that the AFU has problems with supply on the flanks.

On the same day, military expert Captain of the first rank of the reserve Vasily Dandykin explained the strategic importance of Chasov Yar for the AFU. The specialist said that the settlement was an important logistics and defense center for the Ukrainian military.