No Christmas peace – Russia captures Ukrainian ghost town of Marjinka

The Russian Ministry of Defense released a video clip of Shoigu’s meeting with Putin. This information could not be independently verified. There was initially no official response from Kiev. So far, the Ukrainian General Staff has only reported ongoing fighting.

The capture of Marjinka, located almost 30 kilometers southwest of the regional capital Donetsk, would allow the Russian army to make further advances in the region, Putin said. Further advances westward were now expected. The head of the Kremlin, who himself ordered the brutal war of aggression against the neighboring country almost two years ago, met Shoigu on the sidelines of a visit to the Northern Naval Fleet in St. Petersburg. About 10,000 people used to live in Marjinka, but now it is mainly called a ‘ghost town’.

The Ukrainian army had already fortified the city in 2014. At the time, pro-Russian separatists under Moscow’s control took Donetsk. Shoigu spoke to Putin on Monday about “powerful fortifications” and “underground passages” that Ukraine had built. The fortress was captured by the “decisive action of our soldiers”. Putin called the conquest a “success” because it reduced Ukrainian shelling on Donetsk. Shoigu said the Ukrainian artillery’s “field of action” near Donetsk would be “significantly reduced.”

Russian progress in the East
The Russian military has recently made progress in eastern Ukraine. After the failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, it made up ground there. The troops have also been trying to encircle the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka for several months.

Regarding the Russian airstrikes, air defense officials said that a Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jet had been shot down the day before in the Donetsk region, and that the other Su-30CM fighter jet had been shot down over the Black Sea. The air defense also reported that two missiles and two “enemy fighter jets” had been shot down. Attacks on enemy positions, including weapons and ammunition depots, were also discussed.

Many drone attacks in Odessa
According to the Ukrainian military, most of the drone attacks took place in the Odessa area on the Black Sea in a period of more than six hours. Debris from the crashed drones caused damage to port infrastructure in Odessa and to an unused administration building and storage areas in the region. Authorities also reported destruction in the Kherson area and the Dnipropetrovsk region. According to the information, there were no injuries.

Zelenskyj also demands full commitment at Christmas
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj had previously called for national defense not to be relaxed at Christmas. In Ukraine, Christmas was officially celebrated for the first time on December 25, but the holiday was not work-free due to martial law. Many Ukrainians continue to celebrate Christmas on January 7, as in Russia, according to the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church. Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and has since waged a devastating war of aggression against the neighboring country.

Ukraine will now receive 1.22 billion euros from the World Bank, the Ministry of Finance in Kiev said. “The money will be used to offset non-security and defense-related expenses from the Ukrainian state budget,” the ministry explained. These include social benefits and rewards for public service employees.