Ukraine’s armed forces reject Russian claim of Mariinka capture, fighting continues

The fighting for Mariinka in the Donetsk region continues, but the city has been destroyed. Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesman of the United Press Center of the Defense Forces of the Tavria front, stated this on the telethon air on Monday, December 25.

Rubryka reports this.

According to Shtupun, the Ukrainian military is within Mariinka's administrative borders.

"The fighting for Mariinka continues. Currently, our service members are in the administrative borders of Mariinka. But the city has been completely destroyed. It is incorrect to talk about the complete capture of Mariinka," Shtupun emphasized.

It is worth noting that on December 25, Russian propagandists once again wrote that the Minister of Defense of the aggressor country, Serhii Shoigu, allegedly reported to Vladimir Putin about the "complete" capture of Mariinka. The Russian dictator, in his turn, said that all those involved in the occupation of the city "deserve state awards," reports the propaganda agency RIA Novosti.

Previously, the Russians had already reported on the capture of Mariinka. In October, the United Press Center of the Defense Forces of the Tavria front reported that the Russians had increased the number of assaults on the Mariinka front.

For reference:

Mariinka is actually located close to occupied Donetsk. Fierce fighting began on the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During this time, the entire infrastructure of the city was utterly destroyed.

In early December, British intelligence stated that Russian troops were slowly making their way through the remains of Mariinka, a city in the Donetsk region. It is likely that Russia now has control over most of the populated area.

As of today, British intelligence claims that the Russian army currently controls most of the city's built-up area. In contrast, small areas on the western outskirts of Mariinka remain under the control of Ukrainian forces. British experts add that the current Russian operations against Mariinka are part of the invaders' autumn offensive, the priority of which is to expand control over the rest of the territory of the Donetsk region.

It should be noted that according to a preliminary assessment by British intelligence, more than 300,000 Russian soldiers have been reported as casualties since the start of the full-scale invasion. However, even officials from the Russian Federation do not know the exact number of fatalities.

Rubryka also reported that for nearly two months now, the Russian army has been attempting to take control of the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. The enemy has been heavily bombarding the Avdiivka coke plant and other important structures within the city.

British intelligence noted earlier that the Russian army suffered heavy losses near Avdiivka, but there was no progress in three areas of the front.

Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the operational-strategic group of troops "Tavria," reported that the Defense Forces of Ukraine are restraining the enemy on the Mariinka front in the Donetsk region, and the defense of the city continues.