Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces is still ongoing in Soledar according to the Russian army, while the Wagner mercenary group claimed control of this small town in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday January 11, an assertion quickly contested by kyiv.
Soledar, once known for its salt mines, is located near the larger city of Bakhmout which the Ukrainians have been defending fiercely for several months against waves of assaults from Russian forces.
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The strategic importance of Soledar is disputed, but its capture would allow Moscow to finally claim a military victory, after several humiliating setbacks since last September, and for the leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to reinforce his growing influence on the Russian political scene. .
“Assault forces fight in the city”the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that “airborne units blocked the northern and southern parts” from the city. “Russian Aerospace Forces Strike Enemy Strongholds”he added.
kyiv denies
Earlier, the Kremlin had been cautious about the situation on the ground. “You don’t have to rush. We are waiting for official statements »spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, told the press, while believing that there was “a positive dynamic in the progress” Russian forces.
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The statements of the Russian army, however, contradict the words of the leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Evgueni Prigojine, who affirmed early this Wednesday that his units “exclusively” had “taken control of the entire territory of Soledar”.
However, he noted that “urban battles” continued in pockets of resistance in the city center, making the extent of the Russian group’s control over this small town of just over 10,000 pre-war inhabitants uncertain.
The Ukrainian army quickly denied these claims, saying that Soledar “was, is and always will be Ukrainian” and that he is not ” not true “ that Yevgeny Prigozhin is inside the Soledar salt mines. AFP was unable to independently verify the situation on the ground. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, had reported on Tuesday evening a ” hard situation “ in the Donetsk region, where Soledar is located.
