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The Ukrainian military confirmed on Monday its retreat from the village of Lastochkyne in eastern Ukraine, saying the move would help it to better halt the westward advance of Russian forces.
"Ukrainian Armed Forces units withdrew from the village of Lastochkyne in order to organise defences... and prevent the enemy from advancing further in a western direction," military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy said on television. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk Editing by Gareth Jones)