Creeping advances into ruins
London: Russia appears to have gained control of Marinka
December 5, 2023, 3:39 p.m
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The city of Marinka near Donetsk is often mentioned in the same breath as the nearby and also hotly contested Avdiivka. The Russian armed forces are expected to make progress in both places. They could have almost completely taken over the former.
According to a report by British intelligence, Russian forces are said to have successfully made “sneaky advances through the ruins of Marinka”, a town west of the city of Donetsk, in recent weeks. “Russia now probably controls most of the built-up area. However, Ukrainian forces continue to hold parts of the area on the western edge of the city,” British intelligence said.
The renewed efforts by Kremlin troops against Marinka are part of Russia’s autumn offensive, which is primarily aimed at expanding control over the remaining parts of the Donetsk region. According to London, this is “most likely” still one of Moscow’s central war aims.
It was recently unclear who controls Marinka. However, unofficial reports already suggested that Russian troops were making progress there. A few days ago, the Ukrainian General Staff announced in its evening update that Moscow’s forces had unsuccessfully tried to advance on villages near Marinka. There have been repeated reports of violent attacks in recent weeks.
The city has been on the front line since 2014. Before the war, around 9,000 people lived there. Today, according to British intelligence, Marinka is completely destroyed. Drone footage would show that most of the buildings are in ruins. Pictures also indicate this, which the Ukrainian armed forces recently shared.
Marinka and Avdiivka are 35 kilometers apart
Most recently, in relation to Russian advances, Marinka was repeatedly mentioned in the same breath as Avdiivka, which is also hotly contested and lies approximately 35 kilometers to the northeast. Russian troops are also said to have advanced further and further into Avdiivka in recent weeks. The place is threatened with encirclement.
“The Russians continue to attack despite their high losses. The fighting goes back and forth, but according to Ukrainian soldiers, the pressure from the Russians is increasing day by day,” said Colonel Markus Reisner to ntv.de.
Statements from Kiev recently suggested that Ukraine could begin to concentrate more on defense rather than offense on many parts of the front. President Zelensky had announced the accelerated construction of shelters and fortifications along all sectors of the front. “The priority is obvious,” he said in a video address.