Putin assures that thanks to this victory, Russian soldiers now have the opportunity to reach “a larger operational area.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu today announced the capture of Marinka, a key Ukrainian fortress near Donetsk, while President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy used Christmas to encourage Ukrainians to resist Russia's current winter offensive confirmed that The capture of Márinka would be Moscow's greatest military success in more than six months.
“As part of the offensive actions of the units of the Southern Military Group, we completely liberated the city today MarinkaShoigu said during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin that was broadcast on public television.
First Russian victory in six months
Shoigu emphasized this MarinkaThe city, which had almost 10,000 inhabitants before the war and is now just a ruin, is located five kilometers southwest of the capital Donetsk.
“We have significantly shifted the work of (Ukrainian) artillery away from Donetsk, there, towards the west, which today will allow us to more effectively defend Donetsk from enemy attacks,” he stressed. He emphasized that the liberation of this bastion It would reduce Ukraine's defense potential and provide the Russian army with “new opportunities for future actions in this direction”, following Avdivka, which is also near Donetsk and the scene of the bloodiest battle of the current war is.
For his part, Putin also emphasized that thanks to this victory, the largest since the capture of Bakhmut in May – also in the Donetsk region – by the Wagner Group, Russian soldiers now have the opportunity to gain “more operational space”. ” broad”.
As the Russians take the initiative again, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainians in his Christmas greeting message today to take a new breath and resist the onslaught of Russian armed forces. “This Christmas creates the right atmosphere for the coming year,” he explained in a message published on Telegram.
According to the Ukrainian president, these are “opportunities for dialogue with our partners. Ways to strengthen our anti-aircraft shield. Ways to protect our homeland from Russian terrorists.”
“The stronger our air defense system is, the fewer Russian demons there will be in our skies and on our land,” he claimed, recalling that the previous day Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense had shot down about thirty Shahed drones and several Russian fighters.
The head of military intelligence Kirilo Budánov joined the congratulations, pointing out that “the Kremlin's terror and occupation regime will never be able to realize its cunning plans to destroy our state, our traditions and our identity.” Ukrainians are a strong nation,” “capable of overcoming any obstacle on the path to their freedom and independence,” he added.
Half a million mobilized
Meanwhile, Ukraine is preparing to announce the largest possible mobilization in its history cover half a million men, The number demanded by Zelensky's Ukrainian military command. As David Arajamia, the leader of the presidential party in the Verkhovna Rada (legislative), reported on Telegram, the government is working to present a mobilization draft as quickly as possible that meets the military's demand.
“I hope that colleagues in the Cabinet of Ministers will complete their part of the work soon,” he said, pointing out that the delay of this bill “generates uncertainty and a large amount of fake news.” He recalled that before his approval, the Ukrainian president “stressed that a comprehensive approach to mobilization is needed.”
Simply recruiting new people without solving the problems of those currently serving in the military is not an option (…) The military needs a solution to its problems. “Society wants to hear answers to all difficult questions,” he said. The issue of mobilization has caused controversy in the country, one of them due to Defense Minister Rustem Umérov's proposal to conscript Ukrainians stationed in the army. currently abroad, an idea supported by adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, Mijailo Podoliak.
However, the main obstacle to the new mobilization is that there are still no clear criteria on how to organize the rotation of units at the front and the vacations of soldiers who have been fighting for almost two years.
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