Russia declares having taken control of Marïnka, the Ukrainian army denies

The Russian army claimed to have taken control of the town of Marïnka, near Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, as assured on Monday December 25 by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. A spokesperson for the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Chtoupoun, immediately denied this, stressing that he was “incorrect” to assert that the locality was entirely controlled by the Russians. “The fight for Marinka continues”he said, adding that there were still Ukrainian soldiers in the city, which is “completely destroyed”.

“The locality of Marinka, located five kilometers southwest of Donetsk, was completely liberated today”, Sergei Shoigu had previously declared during a television interview with President Vladimir Putin. According to the Russian Defense Minister, Marinka is “a powerful fortified area connected by underground passages” which protect it from artillery and air strikes. “Thanks to the decisive actions of our soldiers, the fortress was cracked”he congratulated himself.

Marïnka had been transformed by the Ukrainian army into a stronghold since 2014 and the start of a conflict with pro-Russian separatists led by Moscow, who had seized the city of Donetsk in particular. Russian forces have regained the initiative on the front since the failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, gaining ground particularly in the East. In particular, they have been trying for several months to surround another stronghold, that of Avdiïvka, also in the East.