 Russian state TV Rassia 24 on December 26 there to report on Marienka in East Ukraine that showed vast areas of the town and the Donetsk region in ruins, Moscow says its forces had gained full control of Marienka, but Kiev's military denied Moscow's claim, saying Ukrainian troops were still within the borders of the blighted town. Our assault units have today completely liberated the settlement of Marienka, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting, aired on December 25.Putin said control of the town, which lies some 5 km southwest of the city of Donetsk, will allow the Russian forces to move enemy combat units away from Donetsk. Our troops have the opportunity to reach a wider operational area, he said in a video of the exchange between him and Shoigu posted online by a Kremlin journalist. But Oleksandr Stupin, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military, told the Ukrainian national broadcaster on Monday that fierce fighting for the town continued. Our troops are in the administrative borders of Marienka, the battles for the city continue, Stupin said. The city is completely destroyed, but it is incorrect to talk about the complete capture of Marienka. Reuters could not independently verify the reports or who controls Marienka, a small town in the Donetsk region that had a pre-war population of about 10,000 people and has since been turned into rubble. It is worth noting that the word of the same prisoners, the continuation of the life of the Ukrainian military, freshly sent to the Marienka front, was 3-4 days.