MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Russian forces have completely liberated the settlement of Maryinka near Donetsk, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"In the course of active offensive operations, assault units of the battlegroup South liberated the entire settlement of Maryinka today, which is 5 kilometers to the southwest of Donetsk" Shoigu said. "Over past nine years, the Ukrainian Armed Forces turned it into a most powerful fortified area."

He said the fortifications included underground tunnels. Also, according to the minister, each street had structures and firing points that were fortified and well-protected from artillery and air strikes, along with complex systems of underground communications.

"Thanks to the decisive actions of our servicemen, this fortified area was cracked open," Shoigu said.

He said there were more than 3,000 houses in Maryinka, and each of them represented a well-fortified strongpoint.