War in Ukraine – Voices and Developments – Zelenskyj: “The ground in Soledar is covered with the bodies of the attackers”

Zelenskyy: “The ground in Soledar is covered with the bodies of the attackers”

10.01 am: Russian forces are making advances in the small town of Soledar, just ten kilometers from their primary objective, the town of Bakhmut. But the Ukrainian army does not want to give up Bakhmut and the surrounding area. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describes the battle for the cities as a “hell front” and the “bloodiest places”.

Deputy Defense Minister Maljar had previously reported that the Russians were continuing to carry out heavy attacks on Soledar. “Everything is completely destroyed (…) the ground in Soledar is covered with the corpses of the attackers and marked by the explosions,” Zelenskyj added.

But Zelenskyj is optimistic: “Even if the occupiers have now concentrated their greatest efforts on Soledar, the result of this difficult and prolonged struggle will be the liberation of our entire Donbass.”

The Ministry of Defense in Kyiv had previously reported in the online service Telegram that it was repelling an attempt to take Soledar and said the fighting was continuing. Russia’s forces “regrouped, restored troop levels, deployed additional attack units, changed tactics and began offensive operations,” Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar told Telegram.

London: Russians advance north of Bakhmut

Tuesday, January 10, 08:16: According to British estimates, Russian forces are making slight progress in the fighting for the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut. Regular troops and units of the Wagner mercenary group have made tactical advances into the small town of Soledar, ten kilometers to the north, over the past four days and probably controlled most of the town, the Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence briefing on Tuesday.

Bachmut remains the primary target of the Russian offensive, it said. The advance to Soledar should encircle the city from the north and cut off Ukrainian lines of communication.

The fighting focused on approaches to disused salt mine tunnels that run under the area and are around 200 kilometers long. “Both sides are likely concerned that they could be used to infiltrate behind their lines,” the statement said. Despite the increased pressure on Bakhmut, it is unlikely that Russia will take the city anytime soon, as Ukrainian forces have established stable defenses and continue to control supply routes.

Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of February, the British Ministry of Defense has published daily information on the course of the war, citing intelligence information. In doing so, the British government wants to both counter the Russian portrayal and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses a disinformation campaign.

Russia launches violent attack on the city of Soledar in eastern Ukraine

8:18 p.m.: Ukraine has reported sustained heavy attacks by Russian forces on the town of Soledar in the east of the country. “After an unsuccessful attempt to capture Soledar in the Donetsk region, the enemy regrouped, changed tactics and launched a new, violent attack,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar wrote on Telegram on Monday. On the Russian side, it is primarily members of the notorious mercenary group Wagner who are deployed.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi had previously spoken of a difficult situation in Soledar and in neighboring Bakhmut. At the same time he had confirmed that his army still had both cities under its control.

Soledar and Bakhmut are part of the Ukrainian defensive wall in front of the conurbation between Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. From the Russian point of view, the capture of this area would be a significant step towards the conquest of the entire Donbass – one of the Kremlin’s war aims.

Federal government does not want to deliver “Leopard 2” tanks “at the moment”.

1:29 p.m.: According to information from “n-tv”, the federal government does not want to make any “Leopard 2” tanks available to Ukraine at the moment. “The federal government currently has no intention of delivering “Leopard 2″ tanks to Ukraine,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit was quoted as saying in Berlin.

Hebestreit therefore again ruled out going it alone and referred to agreements with partners such as the USA and France. Hebestreit said he was not aware of any requests from NATO partners to deliver Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine themselves. A German export license would then also be required for this.

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) does not rule out the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. The federal government, together with its partners, is constantly adapting its decisions to developments “on the battlefield” “in order to give Ukraine maximum support,” said Habeck on Sunday in the ARD program “Report from Berlin”.

Pro-Russian fighters report taking village between Bakhmut and Soledar

12:13 p.m.: Pro-Russian militants have captured Bakhmutśke, a village near the embattled town of Bakhmut. The pro-Russian authorities announced this on Telegram, as reported by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Bakhmut in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk has been considered the “hottest section of the front” for weeks. Bachmutśke is located 11 kilometers from Bachmut and only three kilometers from Soledar. The area between the two cities is “one of the bloodiest places on the front,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday. In his evening speech, he said that the Russian attackers are currently unable to get through.

Kremlin: Western tanks do not affect outcome of war

11.50 a.m.: According to the Kremlin, the supply of tanks to Ukraine will not affect the outcome of the war. “In principle, these deliveries cannot and will not change anything in Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, according to the Interfax news agency. It’s not just about the French AMX-10RC light tanks, which he was asked about, but about all western arms supplies, Peskov said. In the West, tank deliveries were long considered a delicate matter in order to avoid an escalation. After France, Germany and the USA have also promised Ukraine armored personnel carriers.

According to Peskov, Western weapons would only prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people. “These deliveries cannot thwart the achievement of the objectives of the military special operation,” said the 55-year-old. Moscow officially describes its war of aggression against Ukraine only as a “military special operation”. Anyone who speaks of war in Russia must expect criminal proceedings for “discrediting the Russian armed forces”.

London: Russia uses advanced fighter jets – but remains risk-averse

Monday, January 09, 08:52: The Russian armed forces have been using Russia’s most advanced supersonic fighter jet Su-57 Felon in the war against Ukraine since June 2022. This is reported by the British Ministry of Defense in its daily intelligence update. But the missions are likely to be limited to flying over Russian territory and launching long-range missiles into Ukraine.

With the considered use of the jets, Russia primarily wants to avoid losing Felon jets over Ukraine and risking counterattacks. The clear “Russia’s continued risk-averse approach to the deployment of its air force,” according to the ministry.

Since at least June, the Russian military has been using the jet, which features stealth technologies and state-of-the-art avionics. Pictures recently showed five Felon jets at the Akhtubinsk airbase, the only known base for the planes.

Zelenskyy: “This is one of the bloodiest places on the front”

9:56 p.m.: Despite the heaviest fighting in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj sees no way for the Russian attackers and promises reinforcements to the defenders. “Bachmut is holding on,” said the 44-year-old on Sunday in his daily video speech. Neighboring Soledar is also holding out, although the city is even more devastated and the situation is difficult. “This is one of the bloodiest places on the front,” he said, describing the area around the two small towns that are part of Ukraine’s defensive wall in front of the Sloviansk and Kramatorsk conurbations in the Donetsk region.

According to Zelenskyy, on Sunday Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of the Ukrainian army, visited the troops in Bakhmut and Soledar to direct the defense and organize reinforcements and increased firepower against the enemy. Syrskyj is considered a hero in Ukraine, who is credited with the successes in defending Kyiv and recapturing the Kharkiv region. Deputy Ukrainian Defense Minister Hanna Maljar had previously spoken of a difficult situation in Soledar.

Kyiv admits problems defending city in eastern Ukraine

6 p.m.: According to information from Kyiv, the defenders in the Soledar area have found themselves in a difficult position during the fighting in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. “It’s difficult in Soledar at the moment,” Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote in her Telegram channel on Sunday.

Like Bakhmut, which has been contested for months, Soledar is part of the Ukrainian defensive wall in front of the conurbation between Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Taking the agglomeration would be almost tantamount to conquering the Donbass – one of Russia’s publicly stated goals early in its war of aggression.

The Russians had concentrated large forces in front of Soledar. Not only regular units of the Russian army were involved in the attacks, but also mercenary troops, Maljar wrote. In fact, in the area around Bachmut and Soledar – both cities are only 14 kilometers apart – the mercenaries of the “Wagner” troop, who are considered to be well equipped, attack.

Russian military blogs recently reported a breach in the defense lines in Soledar, but this has not yet been officially confirmed by Moscow. According to information from Kyiv, Ukrainian troops continue to keep the city under control.

Russia and Ukraine exchange 50 prisoners

3:32 p.m.: Russia and Ukraine completed the first prisoner swap since the turn of the year. “On January 8, as a result of the negotiation process, 50 Russian soldiers who were in imminent danger in captivity were withdrawn from the territory under the control of the Kiev regime,” the Russian Defense Ministry announced on its Telegram channel on Sunday. Shortly thereafter, the Ukrainian side confirmed the exchange.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, its own prisoners of war have already been flown to Moscow on a military plane for treatment and rehabilitation. There is no further information about the Russian soldiers.

Kyiv, on the other hand, reported that 33 officers and 17 enlisted ranks were freed on its own side. “We are bringing back people who were taken prisoner at Chernobyl NPP, our defenders from Mariupol, our guys from the Donetsk region in the Bakhmut area, as well as from the Kiev region, Chernihiv, Kherson and other regions where there was fighting,” commented the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak the exchange.

There are now regular prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Kyiv. It is the only area where dialogue between the two warring factions is still taking place, while negotiations at other levels have come to a standstill.

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