Battle of Marinka (2015)
Battle of Marinka | |||||||
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Part of War in Donbas | |||||||
Ukrainian servicemen in front of Marinka police station on the day after the battle | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Donetsk PR | Ukraine | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Akhra Avidzba[2] | Unknown | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,000[6] | 2,700 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
35 killed[7] 185 wounded[7][8] |
32 killed[9] 39 wounded[10] 1 captured[11] | ||||||
9 civilians killed 30 civilians wounded[6][12] |
The Battle of Marinka was a short battle in the war in Donbas in and around Marinka, Donetsk Oblast which took place on 3 June 2015. Ukrainian forces fought the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's (DPR) Republican Guard and Pyatnashka Brigade under Akhra Avidzba . The town of Marinka was briefly seized by DPR forces before it was recaptured by the Ukrainians.
The battle
[edit]According to the Ukrainian military, fighting around the government-held town of Marinka began at 3 a.m. of 3 June when separatists launched an offensive with tanks and 1,000 fighters.[6] The DPR stated that this attack was in response to the heavy Ukrainian shelling of Donetsk, Horlivka, Staromykhailivka and Yenakiieve on the night of 2 June to the morning of 3 June.[13] They added that those shellings killed 15 people in DPR-held territory near Marinka.[6] The separatist attack began with artillery fire, followed by an infantry and tank assault as the sun came up.[1] The fighting lasted nearly 12 hours before stopping, but resumed again soon after.[6] The fighting had also spread to Krasnohorivka, and both towns were in flames as bloody and chaotic street battles took place. Rocket and artillery fire was also exchanged.[1][14] By the end of the day, the rebels had gained control over a portion of the town, with a Ukrainian member of parliament saying 70 percent of Marinka was DPR-held.[1]
Ceasefire
[edit]The situation in Marinka stabilised during the early evening as a cease-fire took hold.[14] The Ukrainian military stated that the cease-fire restored their control of the town[1] and both the Donetsk People's Republic's Defence Minister Vladimir Kononov and the Ukrainian military confirmed to the OSCE that Marinka was under Ukrainian control.[14] On 4 June, an AP reporter briefly visited the town and confirmed it was under government control, with troops conducting mop-up operations.[15]
Fighting in and around Marinka left 20 separatists and four soldiers dead, while 99 separatists and 39 soldiers were wounded.[10][7] An additional 9 civilians had been killed[12] with a further 30 wounded.[6] On 4 June, according to the DPR, Ukrainian government artillery and mortar fire continued to hit multiple DPR-held cities, including Donetsk, leaving 16 separatist fighters and five civilians dead, while 86 fighters and 38 civilians were wounded.[8] The following day, the Ukrainian president claimed the military had recaptured Marinka, after expelling the separatists, and captured 12 "saboteurs", including one Russian citizen. His claim was not independently confirmed.[16]
Aftermath
[edit]The Kyiv Post quoted Ukrainian military commanders who said that if the separatists had captured Marinka and Krasnohorivka it would have created a choke point for the Ukrainian forces at Pisky and Avdiivka (north and northwest of Donetsk).[17] Ukrainian soldiers who fought in the battle told Kyiv Post that they believed the battle was intended to test their capabilities.[18] This view was echoed by Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.[19] The rebels denied that they had attacked Marinka and described the fighting that took place at the town as them counter-attacking.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Andrew E. Kramer (3 June 2015). "At Least 19 Killed in Fighting in Eastern Ukraine". New York Times. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ a b ""Pyatnashka" commander becomes a dad". Novorossia Today. 19 June 2015. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ "Fighting near Maryinka recorded by military correspondent". Novorossia Today. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "Battle rages for Marinka, 25 Ukrainian soldiers reported wounded". Unian. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Український Меморіал
- ^ a b c d e f "Ukraine forces, separatists fight first serious battles in months". Reuters. 3 June 2015. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ a b c "9 civilians, 35 militias killed in DPR over past week — human rights ombudsman". TASS. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ a b "At least 21 killed in shellings in east Ukraine's Donetsk republic — DPR spokesman". TASS. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Книга пам'яті загиблих [Book of remembrance of the fallen] (in Ukrainian). memorybook.org.ua. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Five Ukrainian soldiers killed, 39 injured in Donbas on June 3 – presidential adviser". Interfax-Ukraine. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Halya Coynash (8 June 2015). "Another Ukrainian prisoner tortured for Russian TV". KyivPost. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ a b "28 killed in recent Maryinka battle – UN". uatoday.tv. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ "DPR Army liberated locality Maryinka to the west of Donetsk". Novorossia Today. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ a b c Michael Bociurkiw; Iryna Gudyma (4 June 2015). "Spot report by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), 3 June 2015: Fighting around Marinka". Kiev: OSCE. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ Mstyslav Chernov; Peter Leonard (4 June 2015). "Eastern Ukraine tense after outbreak of fighting". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2015-06-05. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ a b Tom Burridge (6 June 2015). "Ukraine's Poroshenko says rebels ousted from Maryinka". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Allison Quinn (5 June 2015). "Minsk Is Dead: Now What?". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ Allison Quinn (2 July 2015). "Russian warmongering keeps everyone on edge". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ (in Russian) Russian military experts: Russia is ready to attack again, Ukrayinska Pravda (10 July 2015)