Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: we are still in the northern part of Marjinka, but the city no longer exists

The Ukrainian army continues to fight in Marjinka, as confirmed by the commander of the country's armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny. He acknowledged that the city basically no longer exists because the Russian army has completely destroyed it.

“Our troops are still in the northern part of Marjinka, but this city no longer exists” - said General Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

The head of the Ukrainian army noted that the Russian invaders used the same method in Marjinka as in Bakhmut, "destroying street by street, house by house," and that the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops to the suburbs is not unusual because these are the rules of war.

"Every piece of our land is dear to us. And regardless of whether it is Bakhmut or Avdiivka, we will defend it as long as we have sufficient forces to do so. If they run out, and we judge that it is better to save people, of course, we will make that decision and save people. Everything will depend on the situation. There is no need to dwell on this issue"
said General Valery Zaluzhny.

Fights for Marjinka

On Monday, the Russian command announced that Marjinka, located southwest of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, had been captured. The Ukrainian staff denied this.

Fighting for this city has been ongoing since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014 when the Russians created the separatist Donetsk Republic there. Marjinka is an important point defending access to Donetsk.

In 2021, before full-scale Russian aggression, it numbered approximately 9.5 thousand inhabitants. As a result of heavy fighting, it was completely demolished. There is not a single building or civilian resident left.

Oleksiy Danilov: It's always difficult at the front

When asked in which places, apart from Avdiivka and Kupyansk, he could confirm that "it is hot," Oleksiy Danilov responded, "The armed forces are defending these towns, but the situation is difficult. It's always difficult on the front. This is war," he stressed.

Referring to the results of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, he said that "the desire for a better situation in terms of liberating Ukrainian territories is obvious." He also admitted that there had been "large and important events" in the Black Sea. "Twenty percent of Russia's fleet no longer exists. And it's not just about some banquets for 5-30 people. These are large military ships that we sent to where the flagship Russian cruiser Moscow arrived on April 13, 2022," he said.