"Yes, [Russia] indeed liberated [the settlement], our fighters hoisted the Russian flag," Gagin said.
This development shows "the dynamic advance of the Russian army forward, the liberation of the republic's territory," he added.
On April 5, Gagin reported that Russian forces had entered the suburb of Chasov Yar in the DPR, a strategically important city crucial to end Ukraine's occupation of the region.
This announcement comes amid multiple reports by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Russia's troops occupying better ground across the front lines in the Avdeyevka area (DPR).