Statements about capture of Mariinka not true, AFU still within town

Servicemen of the Defense Forces of Ukraine still are within the administrative boundaries of Mariinka, Donetsk Region. The statements of the invaders about the complete capture of the town are not true.

The Tavria Defense Forces spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun stated this on the air of the national telethon.

"Now our servicemen are within the administrative boundaries of Mariinka, but the town is completely destroyed. But it is incorrect to talk about the complete capture of Mariinka," Shtupun said.

According to him, the battles for Mariinka continue.

Note that earlier today, russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu said that russian troops allegedly established full control over Mariinka.

Shoigu made the corresponding statement during a meeting with russian dictator vladimir putin accused of war crimes.

According to Shoigu, the "liberation" of Mariinka allegedly allows the troops of the invaders to enter the operational space.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on December 10, russian troops launched a large-scale offensive on the Avdiivka and Mariinka axes.

It is worth recalling that the fighting in Mariinka began on the first day of the full-scale invasion and continues every day to this day.

We also reported that on December 13, a soldier of the 72nd brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykola Voroshnov announced the alleged fall of Mariinka.

On the same day, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) stated that the russians did not capture Mariinka.