Russian state television showed destroyed buildings and Russian soldiers in what it said were the outskirts of Marinka
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that his forces took control of the main town of Marinka in eastern Ukraine.
Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that offensive units had captured the “strongly fortified” area outside Donetsk, the Russian-controlled regional capital.
Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zalozhny, said that Ukrainian forces moved to the outskirts of Marinka.
Marinka, the gateway to Donetsk, has been almost completely destroyed.
Separately, on Tuesday evening, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Russian forces bombed the Kherson railway station, killing a police lieutenant and wounding several others.
Police successfully evacuated most of the 140 civilians waiting for the evacuation train at the time, likely preventing much greater casualties, he said on Telegram.
Marinka, once home to 10,000 people, remained in Ukrainian hands throughout the Kremlin's war in eastern Ukraine, which began when Russia seized and annexed Crimea in 2014 and its proxy forces occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
When a full-scale invasion began in 2022, Marinka came under relentless Russian attack and was evacuated.
“For nine years, the Ukrainian armed forces have established a strong fortified area, which is connected by underground passages,” Shoigu said, adding that this fortified area has now been cracked.
“Each street has its own well-fortified structures that are more or less well protected from all attacks, both from the air and artillery, long-range firing points, and complex underground communications systems.”
Putin hailed the arrest as a “success”, saying Ukrainian forces had now been pushed back from Donetsk, which they regularly bombard from Marinka.
The Kremlin leader also said that Russian forces now have an “opportunity to move to a broader area of operations” in the Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian military initially denied the Russian claim and Ukrainian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian forces were holding out in a small area west of Marinka.
But the Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Valery Zalozhny, confirmed during a press conference on Tuesday the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces.
“We protect every piece of our land. Every piece. But when enemy shells, on this narrow patch, start carving this place with stones and dirt and our soldiers, the lives of our soldiers are more important to us.” He said.
General Zalozny noted that Marinka had been held captive for nearly two years, but was destroyed “street by street, house by house.”
“Marinka no longer exists,” he added.
Ukraine has been using the city as a defensive barrier since 2014, when Russian-backed fighters seized large areas of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
President Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Image source, Telegram via Reuters
Marinka looks like a ghost town after months of intense fighting (archive photo from May 2023)
In recent weeks, Russian forces have intensified their attacks in several key areas on a battlefront more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) long.
Along with Marinka, they were trying to encircle Avdiivka – another major city near Donetsk.
Ukrainian forces are seeking to extend their bridgehead on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country's military planned to mobilize up to 500,000 additional people – although General Zalozny denied on Tuesday that the military had issued a request for any specific number of troops.
Kiev's counteroffensive has stalled at the start of winter, and there are fears that the Russians may simply outgun Ukraine.
The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force said that warplanes destroyed the Novocherkassk landing ship used to transport troops and heavy equipment in the early hours of Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Shoigu provided details of the damage to the ship to President Vladimir Putin, before announcing that Russian forces had halted the Ukrainian counterattack and were now advancing on all fronts.
Russian state television had earlier shown him telling Putin: “Today, the assault detachments of the Southern Group completely liberated the Marinka settlement, which is located five kilometers away.” [three miles] Southwest of Donetsk.
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