Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov briefed President Vladimir Putin three times on the progress of the operation to liberate Avdeyevka on February 17, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Putin heard the first report that the operation was nearing completion at 4 am Moscow time (1 am GMT), and at 11 am Moscow time (8 am GMT) the military commanders reported that it had been fully completed, Peskov said.
"At that moment, the mass escape of the enemy from Avdeyevka, the abandonment of fighting positions had already begun," he said.
It took Russian soldiers a few more hours to start clearing the city, the spokesman added.
By the afternoon, he noted, Shoigu and Gerasimov had reported that the operation had been fully completed and that "our troops have taken full control of the city."
Putin then congratulated the Russian military on its success and important victory.
Avdeyevka is a northern suburb of Donetsk that has been contested since the beginning of the special operation.