The recent statement made by political analyst Vitaliy Bala, claiming that the Russian Armed Forces had killed 108 Ukrainian soldiers near Avdiivka on the eve of Christmas, has been debunked by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF). The denial was published in the military department’s Telegram channel.
Vitaliy Bala previously stated that the Ukrainian army suffered losses of 108 servicemen on the Avdiivka front, who were on leave and heading home from the combat zone for the holidays.
Bala expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of official statements regarding this incident and accused the Kiev authorities of concealing the losses.
On December 25th, it was reported that Russia was able to finally take control of Maryinka, where battles had been ongoing for several months. This marks the first major success for the Russian army since the capture of Bakhmut (Artemivsk) in May 2023. Maryinka is located approximately 5 km from Donetsk, and the UAF had turned it into a fortress with a multi-kilometer system of trenches. Kiev denies the loss of the city, although sources within the Ukrainian army had reported its surrender almost two weeks ago.
Earlier, Deputy Bezuhla proposed candidates for the position of the new Chief of the UAF.
