Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said his troops have seized the key town of Mariinka in eastern Ukraine.
Mr Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin assault units had taken the “powerfully fortified” area just outside Donetsk, a Russian-held regional capital.
The commander of Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian forces had moved to the outskirts of Mariinka.
Mariinka – seen as a gateway to Donetsk – has been almost completely destroyed.
Mariinka
🐘 T-64BV bursts into the northwestern outskirts of the city and destroys the positions of the Russians at close range. pic.twitter.com/TKBDmUpxkl
— GWAR69 🇩🇰🇺🇦 (@GwarWorin) December 26, 2023
Today, Russian media is rejoicing, boasting that the Russian army has, after 22 months, finally taken the town of Mariinka.
Here's what's left of Mariinka after Russians spent billions in artillery and 15,000 Russian lives there to "take" it. pic.twitter.com/vkB9v9FxPA
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) December 25, 2023
