Ruined scene in the “ghost” city of Maryinka. Photo Telegram/via REUTERS/File Photo
According to Reuters, most reports about Maryinka, a city located southwest of Donetsk city, Donetsk province, describe this place as a ghost town. Once a city of 10,000 people, Maryinka is now devoid of civilians. The city has become a hot spot of fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian armies for more than a year.
On Friday, December 1, there were conflicting reports about the condition of the ruined city. One report suggested that Moscow’s army had captured Maryinka but Ukraine’s military said it had repelled Russian attacks on villages around the city.
Specifically, the General Staff of Ukraine, in its report on the evening of December 1, said that Russian forces were unsuccessful in their attempt to enter villages near Maryinka. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not mention Maryinka in its battlefield reports, but a Russian news channel cited statements by Russian soldiers claiming they had captured the city.
Russian blogger Rybar also mentioned a photo circulating on social media showing Russian forces hoisting the national flag in the southwest of the city. On Saturday morning, December 2, journalist Julian Röpcke of Bild newspaper (Germany) also reported that Russian forces had captured Maryinka.
“The Russian army hung a victory banner over the ruins of the Ukrainian city of Maryinka, which they captured yesterday,” Mr. Röpcke said.
However, Ukrainian forces claim they still control several districts in the city.
Ukrainian social media accounts noted Russia’s advances, but quoted soldiers rejecting the notion that Moscow’s army controls the entire city.
Russian forces, currently focused on eastern Ukraine, have also attacked the city of Avdiivka, 40 km north of Maryinka, since mid-October. Ukraine says its forces still control Avdiivka, although not a single building which is intact.
Ukrainian military spokesman Volodymyr Fitio, speaking on national television, did not mention Maryinka or Avdiivka, but said Russian forces were conducting attacks in many areas of the 1,000 km long front line.
