Russian forces have seized control of most of Maryinka’s built-up area, but the town is in ruins, UK defence intelligence says. Ukrainian drones strike Russian military targets in Crimea on Tuesday morning. Macron invites Orbán to Paris to convince him to sign off on opening of accession talks with Ukraine, Politico says
Russia controls most of Maryinka’s built-up area, but the town is in ruins, UK defence intelligence says
Over recent weeks Russian forces have made creeping advances through the ruins of Marinka (Maryinka), a town in Donetsk Oblast, British Defence Intelligence said in its latest update on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russia now likely controls most of the built-up area. However, Ukrainian forces remain in control of pockets of territory on the western edge of the town.
Marinka has been on the front line since 2014. With a pre-war population of 9,000, it is comprehensively ruined – drone footage suggests that the vast majority of buildings have been reduced to rubble.
Russia’s renewed efforts against Marinka are part of Russia’s autumn offensive which is prioritising extending Russia’s control over the remaining parts of the Donetsk Oblast – highly likely still one of the Kremlin’s core war aims, a UK defence intelligence assessment said.
Ukrainian drones strike Russian military targets in Crimea
Drones launched by Ukraine’s Security Service successfully damaged a number of Russian military sites in Crimea and near the occupied peninsula on Tuesday morning, the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper reported, citing sources in law enforcement.
The newspaper said a Nebo-M mobile radar unit was struck near Baherove in the east of the peninsula. To the north in the village of Strilkove on the Arabat Spit, drones hit a helicopter parking area, a P-18 Terek mobile radar unit and a Baikal-1M mobile anti-aircraft command center.
On the morning of December 5, Russia’s defense ministry said it had allegedly intercepted and destroyed more than 40 Ukrainian drones.
Macron invites Orbán to Paris to convince him to sign off on opening of accession talks with Ukraine, Politico says
French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Orbán to meet him in Paris at the end of this week to seek to strike a compromise [and agree to opening accession talks with Ukraine], as Paris believes that the Hungarian leader can still be convinced to back Ukraine’s accession, an official in Paris told Politico.
Orbán was “driving up the bids” in a gamble to get more EU money, the official said. “It’s purely tactical … that’s why there’s a certain optimism that we can reach an agreement.”
A diplomat from another EU country played down Orbán’s threat as political theatrics and sought to counter the impression that he was dictating the agenda for the other 26 countries, saying “another day, another letter from Budapest. So what’s new?”
But yet another senior diplomat from a third EU country said it was “increasingly difficult for Orbán to climb down” from his tree. The EU official in Brussels also said Orbán “really seems to mean it this time,” arguing the Hungarian leader had made clear that he would not budge on Ukraine’s accession even if he got more EU funds.
