Battle of Marinka (2022–2023)

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For the 2015 battle, see Battle of Marinka (2015).

Battle of Marinka
Part of eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

An aerial photo of destroyed Marinka in March 2023
Date17 February 2022 – 25-26 December 2023[b]
(1 year, 10 months, 1 week and 1 day)
Location
Marinka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Result Russian victory[1]
Belligerents

 Russia

 Ukraine
Units involved

DPR Armed Forces

 Russian Ground Forces

National Guard of Russia

 Ukrainian Ground Forces

National Guard of Ukraine

The battle of Marinka was a battle for the city of Marinka between the Armed Forces of Russia and the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the larger eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The battle has been notable for the extent of destruction of infrastructure that has taken place, as well as the length of the battle. By November 2022, much of the town was destroyed, with no civilians remaining and few buildings left standing from the fighting.[5][6] By December 2023, Russia had captured almost all of Marinka. On 25 December 2023, Russia said that its forces had fully captured the city,[7] but the Ukrainian military initially denied the claim.[8] Ukraine's commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi confirmed the loss of Marinka the next day.[1]

Background

See also: Battle of Marinka (2015)

Marinka had been a frontline town held by Ukraine since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014.[1] Marinka was an important part of the Ukrainian defensive line. Ukrainian commander Valentin Manko said in 2015 that if there was "a separatist breakthrough in the Marinka district, Ukrainian forces could find themselves in yet another encirclement" akin to the one that occurred at the battle of Debaltseve.[9] Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has said that since 2014, "the armed forces of Ukraine have made a powerful fortified area, which is connected by underground passages. [...] Each street has its own well-fortified and fairly well-protected structures from all attacks, both from the air and artillery, long-term firing points, complex underground communication systems."[1]

On 3 June 2015, Marinka was the site of a short battle between Ukraine and pro-Russian forces, which ended with Ukraine remaining in control of its town, expelling the attacking militants.[9]

Battle

Early shelling

On 17 February 2022, shelling in Marinka injured a 65-year-old woman.[10][11] Civilians recounted that shelling on this day had begun around 9:30 AM, and ended at 2:30 PM, saying they had heard "at least 20" separate explosions.[10] Shelling intensified in the days leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, killing two Ukrainian soldiers and injuring four more.[12] OSCE recorded a slew of projectiles towards Marinka on 19 February.[13] OSCE monitored 123 explosions south, southwest, and west of Donetsk city in the direction of Marinka on 25 February 2022, just after the full-scale invasion by Russian forces began.[14]

Between 30 and 31 March 2022, Ukrainian emergency services extinguished "dozens of fires" that had started in the town because of white phosphorus munitions from Russian forces.[15]

Initial Russian assaults

In mid-April 2022, during the beginning of the battle of Donbas, Russian and DPR forces ramped up offensive operations, launching multiple attacks on Marinka.[16] On 17 April, one person was killed after Russian forces shelled the city.[17] Two days later on 19 April, Ukrainian forces regained control of Marinka after a failed Russian assault the day prior.[18][19] Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks on the town on 23th April.[18][20]

The ISW reported on 20 May that Russian and DPR forces had refocused their efforts towards Marinka, having allocated additional forces following the end of the siege of Mariupol.[21] Throughout May, southern[failed verification] Marinka shifted between Ukrainian and Russian control as fighting intensified.[22]

Fighting intensified from mid-July through early August, with a notable failed Russian attack on Marinka on 11 July.[23] Two more assaults occurred on 30 July and 1 August, with little success.[24][25] On 5 August, DPR and Wagner forces claimed to control half of Marinka.[26] Russian forces assaulted Marinka again on 25 August, although made no gains.[27] Throughout August, Russian forces made incremental gains in Marinka.[28] The ISW reported that the frontline in Marinka largely stagnated throughout September.[29] In October, geolocated footage showed Russian troops had advanced around the C051101 highway north of Marinka.[30]

Winter–summer campaign

Donetsk Oblast governor Pavlo Kyrylenko stated on 22 December 2022 that Marinka and the surrounding areas were "unlivable," and that there was "not a single surviving house."[31] In January 2023, interviewed Ukrainian soldiers stated that fighting in Marinka was "hellish," and that with virtually no buildings left standing, they were fighting out of basements, rubble, and behind freestanding walls.[32] On 30 January, Ukraine's 79th Brigade claimed it had repelled an infantry assault by a company of Russian troops towards Marinka.[33] According to the Ukrainian General Staff, clashes intensified on February 2 with thirteen battles lasting two hours in Marinka.[34] On February 21, further Russian assaults on Marinka were repelled.[35] Analysis by the British Ministry of Defence said that the effects of the Russian winter offensive were inconclusive in Marinka, with only minimal gains made despite "expending significant resources."[36]

On April 15, Ukrainian general Oleksandr Tarnavskyi released video of six captured Russian soldiers near Marinka.[37] On 24 May, Ukraine's General Staff said Marinka remained one of the epicenters of ongoing clashes during the war.[38]

Ukrainian soldiers on the front in Marinka in June claimed that Russian soldiers outnumbered Ukrainians 4:1 in manpower, and 6:1 in artillery.[39] Most battles took place at close range, and in basements.[40] Later in June, Russian troops were seen using unmanned VBIEDs using older armored vehicles to conduct attacks on Ukrainian troops in Marinka.[41] It was reported on 13 July 2023, that Ukrainian forces had captured a Russian-held position in the "Zverinets" fortifications near Marinka.[42] Around this time, Russian forces intensified attacks on the settlement.[43] Hanna Maliar, the then-deputy defense minister of Ukraine, stated that the Russians were on the offensive in Marinka in September 2023.[44]

Final assaults

In October 2023, Ukrainian military officials said that Russia was launching renewed attacks across the eastern front. On 5 December 2023, the British defence ministry assessed that Russian forces controlled most of the city, with Ukrainian forces still controlling "pockets of territory in the western edge of the town."[45] On 12 December, geolocated video emerged online of Russian units of the 2nd Rifle Battalion and 163rd Tank Regiment raising a Russian flag at the end of the western side of Kashtanova Street, indicating recent advances.[46][47]

On 25 December, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that its forces had fully captured Marinka.[7] However, Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun denied the claim, insisting that Ukrainian troops remained within the city's administrative borders, without offering further detail.[8] The next day, 26 December, Ukrainian commander-in-chief General Valerii Zaluzhny stated Ukrainian forces had retreated to the city's outskirts, "and in some places already beyond the boundaries of the settlement," establishing a new defensive line outside of the city. General Zaluzhny added that Marinka "no longer exists" after being destroyed "street by street" during the battle and that although holding territory was vital, "the lives of our fighters are more important to us," indicating the cost of maintaining positions within the city had become too high.[48][49][50][51][1]

Humanitarian impact

All of Marinka has been destroyed in the fighting.[52][36] By May 2022, the Marinka town square was completely destroyed, the gilded dome of the local church was partially melted, and the Marinka cultural centre was destroyed.[53] The primary school of the city, Marinka school No.1, and the nearby youth center, were destroyed sometime before 15 April 2022, with only one wall left standing.[5][54] The police chief, Artem Schus, stated that every building in the city was damaged.[55]

On 3 November 2022, Ukraine claimed to have evacuated the civilian population of Marinka, totaling around 9,400 people pre-war.[6] Evacuation efforts were done by Ukrainian paramedic group White Angels.[56] This was corroborated by Schus, who claimed living in the city was impossible.[55]

On 26 December 2023, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi compared the battle for Marinka to the battle of Bakhmut, saying "Streets, neighborhoods and our fighters are being destroyed, and after that we have what we have."[57]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Until the Republic's annexation on 30 September 2022
  2. ^ The exact date of the city's capture is disputed, as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed the city had been captured on 25 December, while a Ukrainian military spokesperson initially denied the claim. Meanwhile, Ukraine's commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi admitted to the city's capture on 26 December, one day later.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Ukraine war: Russia captures key town near Donetsk". BBC. 26 December 2023. Archived from the original on 26 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 16, 2023".
  3. ^ "Close Combat Marks 'Hellish' Battle at Ukraine's Marinka". 24 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b Sarovic, Alexander (10 May 2022). "The Elite Ukrainian Soldiers Defending the Donbas". Spiegel International.
  5. ^ a b ""Рускій мір" прийшов до школи у Мар'їнці: фото до та після". Апостроф (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Civilians evacuated from Marinka, Donetsk Oblast". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Russian forces gain control of Maryinka in east Ukraine, defence minister says". Reuters. 25 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Russia says it seizes Ukrainian town of Maryinka; Kyiv denies the claim". Al Jazeera. 25 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  9. ^ a b "The fight for Marinka: Heavy shelling returns to eastern Ukraine". Meduza. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Ukraine: Shelling Residential Areas Puts Civilians at Risk". Human Rights Watch. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Ukraine crisis: Marinka hopes for peace but does not expect miracles". Sky News. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  12. ^ Cookman, Liz. "'They shoot, we hide': Life amid shelling on Ukraine's front line". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Daily Report 40/2022" (PDF). Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Daily Report 45/2022" (PDF). OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Invaders use phosphorous munitions in Marinka". ukrinform.net. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Ukraine Defiant As Russia Launches Massive Offensive In East". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  17. ^ "На Донеччині за день від рук окупантів загинуло двоє мирних мешканців, – Кириленко". РБК-Украина (in Russian). Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Українські військові відновили контроль над Мар'їнкою на Донбасі". РБК-Украина (in Russian). Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  19. ^ Midttun, Hans Petter (18 April 2022). "Russo-Ukrainian war, day 54: Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast, all EU ports closed for Russian ships". Euromaidan Press. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Russian troops attempt to speed up the offensive in eastern Ukraine – General Staff". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  21. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 21". Critical Threats.
  22. ^ "Dodging shells, mines and spies: On the front with Ukraine's snipers". Washington Post. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Ukraine's Armed Forces repulse another offensive near Marinka, forcing Russians to flee". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Ukrainian army repulses invaders' attack on Pisky and Avdiyivka in Donetsk Oblast". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  25. ^ "Ukraine's Armed Forces neutralize Russian recon group near Mazanivka, prevent enemy advance towards Marinka". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  26. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 5". Critical Threats.
  27. ^ "Russo-Ukraine War - 25 August 2022". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  28. ^ "Enemy advancing toward Marinka and Pisky – Ukraine's General Staff". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  29. ^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). "Russia-Ukraine updates: Heavy fighting reported on the outskirts of Donetsk | News | DW | 04.08.2022". DW. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  30. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 19". Critical Threats. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  31. ^ Свобода, Радіо (20 December 2022). "«Немає жодного вцілілого будинку» – Кириленко про Мар'їнку, Красногорівку, Авдіївку". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  32. ^ AFP, Staff Writer With (24 January 2023). "Close Combat Marks 'Hellish' Battle at Ukraine's Marinka". The Defense Post. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  33. ^ "Paratroopers repel enemy assault on several positions near Marinka". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  34. ^ "Situation in Donbas difficult, 13 armed conflicts near Marinka Defense Forces". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  35. ^ "Paratroopers show how they repelled night assault of occupiers near Marinka". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  36. ^ a b Kika, Thomas (10 April 2023). "Russia sacrifices resources for "minimal" gains in city with key road: U.K." Newsweek. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  37. ^ "Tavriia Group of Forces releases video showing Russian prisoners of war captured near Marinka". Yahoo News. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  38. ^ "Bakhmut and Marinka remain in epicentre of hostilities – General Staff". Yahoo! News. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  39. ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey; O’Reilly, Finbarr (13 June 2023). "Every Block Is Another Battle: Ukraine's Latest Eastern Stand". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  40. ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey; O’Reilly, Finbarr (13 June 2023). "Every Block Is Another Battle: Ukraine's Latest Eastern Stand". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  41. ^ Axe, David. "The Russians Are Turning Old Vehicles Into Rolling Bombs. The Ukrainians Are Trying To Spot Them Before They Explode". Forbes. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  42. ^ Bailey, Riley; Hird, Karolina; Mappes, Grace; Wolkov, Nicole; Evans, Angelica; Harward, Christina; Clark, Mason. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 14, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  43. ^ "Enemy aims to seize Marinka: Russians continue assaults, fierce battles raging in east". www.ukrinform.net. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  44. ^ "Situation in Marinka and Avdiivka escalates, Russians are on offensive – Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister". Yahoo News. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  45. ^ Court, Elsa (5 December 2023). "UK Defense Ministry: Russian forces control most of destroyed Marinka". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  46. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 13, 2023". The Institute for the Study of War. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  47. ^ "Marinka has fallen. Russian flag flies over western outskirts". Essa News. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  48. ^ "Главком ВСУ Залужный признал переход Марьинки под контроль российской армии". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 26 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  49. ^ "Ukraine's top commander calls for mobilizing more soldiers". Washington Post. 26 December 2023.
  50. ^ "Ukrainian army says it retreated to outskirts of town claimed by Moscow". Le Monde. 26 December 2023.
  51. ^ "Ukraine Hits Major Russian Warship, but Loses Ground in the East". The New York Times. 26 December 2023.
  52. ^ ІА «Вчасно» (1 September 2022). "ВІДЕО. Від міста майже нічого не лишилося: зруйновану Мар'їнку показали з висоти пташиного польоту — ІА «Вчасно»". vchasnoua.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  53. ^ Sarovic, Alexander (10 May 2022). "Staryna's Mission: The Elite Ukrainian Soldiers Defending the Donbas". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  54. ^ Нужненко, Сергій. "Мар'їнка: ситуація в місті, що неподалік Донецька, зараз (фотосвідчення)". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  55. ^ a b Ankel, Sophia. "Before-and-after photos show how Russia's invasion reduced a Ukrainian city to a post-apocalyptic wasteland". Business Insider. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  56. ^ "Евакуаційні групи "Білих янголів" запрацювали на всій лінії бойових дій Донеччини". Кумa.City (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  57. ^ "Zaluzhnyi says Ukrainian troops remain in north of Marinka". Kyiv Independent. 26 December 2023.

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