ST. PETERSBURG. Dec 25 (Interfax) - Russian troops have gained "greater operational reach" after taking control of the town of Maryinka near Donetsk during the special military operation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"Indeed, there are at least two positive effects here. The first is that we are moving the enemy's military units away from Donetsk. The second is that by breaking into this stronghold, which the enemy has been building since 2014, and in fact built a significant number of reinforced concrete fortifications and communication lines there, our troops have an opportunity to gain greater operational reach," Putin said at a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.