Shoigu said during a meeting with Putin, broadcast on state television: “The town of Marinka, located five kilometers southwest of Donetsk, was completely liberated today” on Monday.
The Ukrainian army had set up fortifications in Marinka since 2014, following the start of the conflict with the pro-Russian separatists, who particularly controlled the city of Donetsk.
Shoigu added that Marinka is a “heavily fortified area connected by tunnels” that protect it from artillery and air strikes. He continued, “Thanks to the decisive movements of our soldiers, the castle was cracked.”
He considered that “the liberation of the town naturally reduces the defensive capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and gives us additional opportunities to continue our work in this direction.”
Putin welcomed the control of Marinka, stressing that this keeps Ukrainian forces away from Donetsk, the regional capital under Russian control and which has been subjected to regular Ukrainian bombing since 2014.
The Russian Defense Minister emphasized: “We have significantly reduced the range of artillery shelling near Donetsk (…) This now allows Donetsk to be defended more effectively against strikes.”
For his part, Vladimir Putin stressed that Marinka, as a fortified area, “gives our forces the possibility of benefiting from a wider operational space.”
Russian forces regained the initiative on the front since the failure of the Ukrainian counterattack, and achieved field gains, especially in the east.
The Russian army has been trying for several months to surround the city of Avdiivka, another stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the east of the country.
#Russia #announces #control #heavily #fortified #area #eastern #Ukraine