The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Zaluzhny posted on his official social media ** that the Ukrainian army had withdrawn from Maryinka in the Donetsk region and was deployed in the trenches around it.
According to Ukraine**, Maryinka is an important town in the Donetsk region, located on the road between the cities of Donetsk and Mariupol, and is the meeting point of the Ukrainian army and the Russian army on the front line.
Since Russia launched its military operation against Ukraine in February 2022, Maryinka has been the focus of contention between the two sides, with several fierce exchanges of fire.
On December 25, 2023, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a report to Vladimir Putin that the Russian army had taken full control of Maryinka, cut off the supply lines of the Ukrainian army, and threatened the defense of the Ukrainian army in Mariupol.
Putin pointed out that control over Maryinka can give the Russian army a broader space for action and form greater pressure on the Ukrainian army.
Zaluzhny said in his message that the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from Maryinka was to avoid unnecessary sacrifices, to protect the lives of the best soldiers, and to prepare for future combat operations. The Ukrainian army has already built a strong defense in the trenches around Maryinka, stopped the further advance of the Russian army, and prepared plans for a counterattack.
He also called on the Ukrainian people and the international community to support the Ukrainian army's struggle, resolutely oppose Russia's aggression, and defend Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ukraine**Zelensky also issued a statement on his social **, supporting the decision of the Ukrainian army, saying that the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army was to preserve strength, not to give up resistance.
Ukraine will continue to seek a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but it will also continue to strengthen its defense capabilities and fight to defend its country.
The withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from Maryinka has also aroused the attention and comments of the outside world, and some people believe that this is a helpless move of the Ukrainian army under the powerful offensive of the Russian army, and it is also a major defeat of the Ukrainian army on the eastern battlefield.
Others believe that this is a strategic adjustment of the Ukrainian army, in order to avoid falling into a passive situation, and also to strive for more favorable fighters, and it is still possible for the Ukrainian army to turn the situation on the eastern battlefield.
In any case, the loss of Maryinka has brought greater military pressure and political challenges to Ukraine, and has also added more uncertainty and danger to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.