Russian Defense Minister claims Marinka captured, Ukraine denies it amidst continued fighting
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu reported to Putin that Russian troops had captured the town of Marinka. However, the spokesperson for the Joint Press Centre of the Ukrainian Defence Forces in the South, Oleksandr Shtupun, denied it during a national news broadcast.
Shtupun claims that to speak of the complete capture of Marinka would be "incorrect" as the town has been completely destroyed. However, the fighting in Marinka continues, as Ukrainian military personnel are still present there.
"Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Russians have repeatedly reported that they have captured Marinka. For almost two years, they continuously stormed this settlement, essentially a suburb of Donetsk. They couldn't take it and decided to simply wipe it off the face of the earth," wrote Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplyenko.
Almost two weeks ago, the Russians already reported the capture of Marinka, and in early December, they also claimed that Marinka had been captured.