Battle of Marinka (2015)

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Battle of Marinka
Part of War in Donbas

Ukrainian servicemen in front of Marinka police station on the day after the battle
Date3 June 2015
Location
Result

Ceasefire

  • Ukrainian forces recapture Marinka after a part of it was briefly captured by the separatists[1]
Belligerents
 Donetsk PR  Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Donetsk People's Republic Artem Zugha [ru][2] Unknown
Units involved

DPR People's Militia

Armed Forces of Ukraine

Ministry of Internal Affairs

Strength
1,000[5] 2700
Casualties and losses
35 killed[6]
185 wounded[6][7]
32 killed[8]
39 wounded[9]
1 captured[10]
9 civilians killed
30 civilians wounded[5][11]

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 [ru]. The town of Marinka was briefly seized by the 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.[5] 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.[12] They added that those shellings killed 15 people in DPR-held territory near Marinka.[5] 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.[5] 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][13] 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.[13] 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.[13] On 4 June, an AP reporter briefly visited the town and confirmed it was under government control, with troops conducting mop-up operations.[14]

Fighting in and around Marinka left 20 separatists and four soldiers dead, while 99 separatists and 39 soldiers were wounded.[9][6] An additional 9 civilians had been killed[11] with a further 30 wounded.[5] 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.[7] 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.[15]

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).[16] Ukrainian soldiers who fought in the battle told Kyiv Post that they believed the battle was intended to test their capabilities.[17] This view was echoed by Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.[18] The rebels denied that they had attacked Marinka and described the fighting that took place at the town as them counter-attacking.[15]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b ""Pyatnashka" commander becomes a dad". Novorossia Today. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2016.[dead link]
  3. ^ "Fighting near Maryinka recorded by military correspondent". Novorossia Today. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Battle rages for Marinka, 25 Ukrainian soldiers reported wounded". Unian. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Ukraine forces, separatists fight first serious battles in months". Reuters. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  6. ^ a b c "9 civilians, 35 militias killed in DPR over past week — human rights ombudsman". TASS. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  7. ^ a b "At least 21 killed in shellings in east Ukraine's Donetsk republic — DPR spokesman". TASS. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  8. ^ Книга пам'яті загиблих [Book of remembrance of the fallen] (in Ukrainian). memorybook.org.ua. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Five Ukrainian soldiers killed, 39 injured in Donbas on June 3 – presidential adviser". Interfax-Ukraine. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  10. ^ Halya Coynash (8 June 2015). "Another Ukrainian prisoner tortured for Russian TV". KyivPost. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  11. ^ a b "28 killed in recent Maryinka battle – UN". uatoday.tv. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  12. ^ "DPR Army liberated locality Maryinka to the west of Donetsk". Novorossia Today. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ a b Tom Burridge (6 June 2015). "Ukraine's Poroshenko says rebels ousted from Maryinka". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  16. ^ Allison Quinn (5 June 2015). "Minsk Is Dead: Now What?". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  17. ^ Allison Quinn (2 July 2015). "Russian warmongering keeps everyone on edge". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  18. ^ (in Russian) Russian military experts: Russia is ready to attack again, Ukrayinska Pravda (10 July 2015)