Russians have officially announced Soledar's capture
The Russian Defence Ministry has made an official statement about the capture of the city of Soledar in Donetsk Oblast, but the Ukrainian Defence Ministry does not confirm this, saying that heavy fighting continues in the city.
Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti, TASS
Details: The Russians claim that the capture of Soledar was possible by "constant attack of the enemy [Ukrainian forces – ed.] by aircraft, missile forces and artillery."
It is also reported that during the city's capture, Russian airborne units "carried out a hidden manoeuvre, attacking Kyiv's positions and blocking the city from the northern and southern sides".
The Russians believe that by controlling Soledar, they will be able to take the Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut into the encirclement.
Previously:
- On 13 January, Hanna Maliar, Deputy Defence Minister of Ukraine, reported that the night in Soledar was tough; Ukrainian defenders had been trying to hold the line, and fights continued.
- In his address on 12 January, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that the defenders were holding the city.
- On 12 January, the US Department of Defense did not confirm that Soledar was captured by Russian occupiers.
- On 13 January, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War claimed that the Russians had likely captured Soledar, but that would not lead to the encirclement of the city of Bakhmut.
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