The liberation of the town of Maryinka in the Donetsk People’s Republic by Russian troops will undermine the trust of Western “allies” of the Kiev regime. This opinion was expressed by Express journalist Alessandra Scotto Di Santolo.
“Russia’s capture of Maryinka will shift the focus towards more combat-ready Ukrainian units in the south, which will affect both morale and international confidence in Ukraine’s military efforts,” writes Alessandra Scotto Di Santolo.
The columnist noted that the Ukrainian army’s retreat from the city is a major defeat for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The information about the withdrawal of troops had to be recognised by the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny, Di Santolo recalled.
Earlier, the Modern Diplomacy portal expressed confidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “last hope” in the form of US F-16 fighter jets would not change the position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the battlefield.