Moscow, Russia

Russia on Monday (Dec 25) claimed to have fully controlled the town of Marinka in eastern Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin hailed it as a "success" that would mean less shelling on the nearby Russian-held city of Donetsk. 

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In a meeting shown on state television, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin that "our [Russia's] assault units have today completely liberated the settlement of Maryinka". 

Maryinka, which was once home to 10,000 people, is located southwest of Donetsk and most accounts have described it as a ghost town, but Moscow sees it as Russia's most significant gain since the capture of Bakhmut in May. 

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The Russian leader said that control of the town would allow the Russian forces to move enemy combat units away from Donetsk. 

In a video of the exchange between him and Shoigu posted online by a Kremlin journalist, Putin said: "Our troops (now) have the opportunity to reach a wider operational area." 

The control over Maryinka would allow Russian soldiers to "move further in this direction" and "make it possible to protect Donetsk more effectively from strikes" from Ukrainian forces, Shoigu said. 

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Also read: Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny moved to Arctic penal colony 

Watch: Russia-Ukraine war: 71 shells fired at Kherson over 24 hours 

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Ukraine's counter-offensive 

Earlier, the Russian army's victory in Bakhmut was a major success, which came after some of the bloodiest fighting. After that, Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June aimed at retaking land in the country's south and east, including Bakhmut. However, the nation didn't achieve any notable success. 

In recent weeks, Russian forces have increased pressure, especially on the nearby town of Avdiivka since mid-October. 

Russia had briefly captured Avdiivka in 2014 by Russian-backed separatists. They had seized large chunks of eastern Ukraine. Fortifications were later built around the town. 

Ukrainian General Staff said in its dispatch early on Monday: "Ukrainian defence forces continued to hold back the enemy in the areas of Maryinka and Novomykhailivka in the Donetsk region, repelling five Russian attacks." 

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. 

(With inputs from agencies)