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Russia said it now had full control of the eastern town of Marinka. Ukraine, on the other hand, claimed to have destroyed a Russian ship.
A Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber fires missiles during a competition at the Dubrovichi range outside Ryazan, Russia.Credit…Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
The Ukrainian military stated on Monday that it had shot down five Russian fighter jets in three days, making it one of the most significant weekly losses for the Russian air force during the war and an unexpected victory for Ukraine, whose forces have experienced setbacks following its failed monthslong counteroffensive this year.
However, Russia’s claim that it had seized full control of the eastern town of Marinka could offset this news. Russian forces have slowly progressed over the months, battling against Ukrainian troops, but Ukraine has rejected the assertion that the town is entirely under Russian control.
Just a few days after declaring destruction of three Su-34 fighter-bombers last Friday, the Ukrainian military announced that it had destroyed two more jets on Sunday. These claims could not be independently verified.
Early on Tuesday morning, Ukraine’s Air Force reported another victory, claiming to have destroyed a Russian ship, the Novocherkassk. The account could not be independently verified. Sergey Aksyonov, the Russia-installed head of Crimea, stated that Ukrainian forces had attacked the Crimean Black Sea town of Feodosia, starting a fire in its port.
Military analysts, along with several Ukrainian officials, have suggested that Western-supplied Patriot missile systems may have been used in the attacks on the Russian planes. This is an unusual instance of the air defense systems, hitherto mostly deployed to shoot down incoming missiles, being used against aircraft.
Celebrating the Monday announcement, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said, “This Christmas sets the right mood for the whole next year.”
On the same day, Russia announced that it had seized the few blocks in Marinka that remained under Ukrainian control. Even though the town has been largely reduced to rubble after months of shelling, it still holds some strategic value as a key Ukrainian fortification on the eastern front.
Despite this, Ukraine has managed to construct fallback positions in case the town falls and has pledged to frustrate Russia’s attempts to advance to the borders of the Donetsk region, which it claimed to have annexed last year.
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A crater left by a missile strike in Kherson city, this month.Credit…Mauricio Lima for The New York Times
“Our troops have the opportunity to establish a wider operational area,” Mr. Putin said in a video of a conversation between him and Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu, during which Mr.