Pavel Rebrov/Reuters
The Ukrainian military claimed on Sunday that it downed five Russian fighter jets over the last three days—a potentially major success for the country, if accurate, amid an unproductive winter in its war with Russia.
Those recent Ukrainian successes, in fact, were already tempered by Russia’s own claim—that it had taken the eastern Ukrainian city of Marinka.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised meeting Monday that its forces had “completely liberated the settlement of Maryinka today.” But as with most things in Ukraine, it wasn’t immediately clear whether Russia was being completely truthful. A spokesman for the Ukrainian military denied that Maryinka was in Russian hands, with the spokesman saying Ukrainian forces were still inside the city.