The Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, announced today the capture of Marinka, an important Ukrainian stronghold in the vicinity of Donetsk, while the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, took advantage of Christmas to encourage Ukrainians to resist the current Russian winter offensive. If confirmed, 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, today we completely liberated the town of Marinka,” Shoigu said during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, broadcast on public television.

Shoigu highlighted that Marinka, which had almost 10,000 inhabitants before the war and is now reduced to ruins, is five kilometers southwest of the capital of Donetsk.

“We have considerably moved the work of the (Ukrainian) artillery away from Donetsk, towards there, towards the west, which will allow us to defend Donetsk more effectively from enemy attacks today,” he stressed. He stressed that the liberation of said bastion It will reduce the Ukrainian defensive potential and provide the Russian army with “new opportunities for future actions in that direction”, in reference to Avdivka, also located in the vicinity of Donetsk and which is the scene of the bloodiest battle of the current war.

For his part, Putin also highlighted that thanks to this victory, the largest since the conquest in May of Bakhmut – also in the Donetsk region – at the hands of the Wagner Group, Russian soldiers now have the possibility of achieving “more operational space.” broad”.

While the Russians regain the initiative, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, today urged Ukrainians in his Christmas greeting message to take new breath and resist the onslaught of Russian forces. “This Christmas creates the right atmosphere for the year ahead. is coming,” he declared in a message posted on Telegram.

According to the Ukrainian president, these are “possibilities for dialogue with our partners. Possibilities for strengthening our anti-aircraft shield. Possibilities for protecting our home from Russian terrorists.”

“The stronger our air defense system is, the fewer Russian demons there will be in our sky and on our land,” he asserted, recalling that the day before the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense shot down about thirty Shahed drones and several Russian fighters.

The head of military intelligence Kirilo Budánov joined the congratulations, pointing out that “the terrorist and occupation regime of the Kremlin will never be able to fulfill 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.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is preparing to announce the largest mobilization in its history, which could involve half a million men, a figure requested by the Ukrainian military command from Zelensky. As reported on Telegram by David Arajamia, the leader of the presidential party in the Verkhovna Rada ( legislative), the Government is working to present as soon as possible a mobilization bill in accordance with the demands of the military.

“I hope that colleagues in the Cabinet of Ministers will finish their part of the work soon,” he said, noting that the delay of this bill “generates uncertainty and a large amount of fake news.” He recalled that the Ukrainian president “emphasized that a comprehensive approach is needed” on the mobilization before approving it. “

Simply recruiting new people, without solving the problems of those currently serving, is not an option (…) The military needs a solution to its problems. “Society wants to hear answers to all sensitive issues,” he said. The issue of mobilization has generated controversy in the country, one of them due to the proposal of the Minister of Defense, Rustem Umérov, to call up Ukrainians residing in the army. currently abroad, an idea supported by the advisor to the Ukrainian presidential office, Mijailo Podoliak.

However, the main obstacle of the new mobilization is that there are still no clear criteria on how to organize the rotation of units on the front and the vacations of soldiers who have already been fighting for almost two years.