“There are successful offensive actions in the vicinity of Artyomovsk ... Everything goes to the fact that the city of Artyomovsk will gradually find itself in the so-called boiler,” RIA Novosti quoted him as saying on the air of the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
Marochko said that the Ukrainian military is trying to prevent the encirclement of the city.
Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Ukraine's losses in November amounted to more than 8,300 military.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that on December 5, the Russian Armed Forces delivered a massive blow to the military command and control system, the defense industry and the fuel and energy complex of Ukraine.