According to Russia's "Izvestia" on December 25, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin on the liberation of Maryinka. Maryinka is one of the most important defensive strongholds of the Ukrainian army in Donetsk. In recent years, the Ukrainian army has turned the town into a formidable defensive fortress, built a large number of bunkers and underground passages, and deployed a lot of artillery to constantly shell the city of Donetsk. Why is the liberation of a small town worthy of a separate report by the Minister of Defense to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief?What kind of prospects does this open up for the offensive of the Russian army in this direction?
"This will have at least two positive effects," Putin said. First of all, we keep the enemy's combat units away from Donetsk. Secondly, the enemy has been building this fortress since 2014. After breaching this fortress, our army can enter a much wider area of operations. ”
Russian military experts said that it cannot be said that the Russian army has completely defeated the Ukrainian army in the Donetsk direction, but the liberation of Maryinka will help the Russian army further expand its gains.
Military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Izvestia: "This is a stronghold that has been in operation for many years, and some people previously doubted whether our army would be able to take it." And now our troops have broken through the enemy's lines of defense and entered the zone of tactical depth. This means that our army can carry out tactical operations such as encirclement, lifting the enemy's blockade, etc. ** It was also mentioned that the occupation of the place could allow the Russian army to further expand its gains. ”
Military expert Vladislav Shurygin said that the Ukrainian military had said that Maryinka, like **mut, was an impregnable fortress.
He recalled: "The battle for Marinka lasted almost 10 years, and now we have taken the town completely. The psychological effects and military significance of liberating the town are significant. Now we can threaten Ugledar from the north. In addition, I think that next our army will storm Avdeyevka. After the liberation of the city, Russian troops should advance to the Konstantinovka-Kramatorsk-Slavyansk line. This is the last line of defense of the Ukrainian army on the territory of Donetsk. ”
Shurygin said that the Ukrainian army has been using mortars in Maryinka for a long time** in civilian areas of the city of Donetsk. Despite the liberation of the town, the threat of daily shelling of the residents of the city of Donetsk remains unresolved.
"Obviously, the liberation of Maryinka means that the Russian army has broken through the existing defensive line of the Ukrainian army, but the fate of the city of Donetsk will not change much for the time being," he said. The Ukrainian army has begun to use Western artillery of a larger caliber and a longer range. These cannons can hit the city. In order to really eliminate the threat of constant shelling, it is necessary to push back the Ukrainian army to an area 50-60 kilometers away from the city. (Compiled by Zhao Zhipeng).