ST. PETERSBURG. Dec 25 (Interfax) - Taking control of Maryinka, a town in the Donetsk People's Republic, gives Russian troops opportunities for further action, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"The liberation of this populated locality naturally decreases the Ukrainian Armed Forces' chances for defense and gives us additional opportunities for further actions in this sector," Shoigu said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
"Importantly, we have substantially driven the area exposed to [Ukrainian] artillery away from Donetsk [...] and this makes it possible to defend Donetsk from strikes carried out [by Ukraine] more effectively today," he said.