The Ukrainian navy and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy say claims by Russia’s Vagner group that Russian forces have taken the japanese city of Soledar are false and combating continues.
“The terrorist state and its propagandists are attempting to fake that a part of our city of Soledar…is a few form of a Russian possession,” Zelenskiy mentioned in a video handle on January 11.
“However combating continues. The Donetsk theatre of operations is holding.”
In a separate assertion, the Basic Employees of the Ukrainian Armed Forces additionally mentioned combating continues. The assertion mentioned as a way to deliver your entire Donetsk area below its management, the Russian navy is trying each to assault close by Bakhmut and to disrupt provide routes to Soledar.
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The Basic Employees mentioned earlier the Russians had been struggling heavy losses as they tried to take the salt-mining city.
The pinnacle of the mercenary Vagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, mentioned on January 11 his forces had taken management of the Soledar.
“I wish to affirm the entire liberation and cleaning of the territory of Soledar from models of the Ukrainian Military…. Ukrainian models that didn’t wish to give up had been destroyed,” he mentioned in a press release.
Vagner forces “killed about 500 folks,” he mentioned, including that Soledar is affected by the corpses of Ukrainian troopers.
Ukraine had earlier denied claims by the personal Russian navy group that it had taken management of the city.
“The city is just not below the management of the Russian Federation. There are fierce battles occurring now,” Serhiy Cherevatiy, the spokesman for the japanese navy command, mentioned on Ukrainian tv.
“There’s a sophisticated scenario there…. The depth of battles close to Bakhmut may be in contrast with World Conflict II,” he added.
Regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko mentioned 559 civilians, together with 15 kids, stay in Soledar. These folks had no want to go away earlier than Soledar was closed because of lively combating, he mentioned on Ukrainian tv.
Fewer than 8,000 folks stay in Bakhmut, however evacuation remains to be potential, he mentioned.
Ukraine’s Protection Ministry earlier on January 11 cited “colossal losses” by Russian forces attempting to seize Soledar in a sustained offensive that the ministry described as “maniacal” because the neighborhood’s destiny hangs within the stability.
The Russian Protection Ministry famous that paratroopers had blockaded areas north and south of Soledar, however added that combating was ongoing contained in the city.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned there was a “optimistic dynamic in advances,” however shortly added that officers should not “rush” to declare victory.
The Ukrainian Basic Employees claimed on January 11 that Russia had misplaced round 490 troopers the day prior to this. It mentioned these casualties raised its estimated loss of life toll on the Russian facet to just about 113,000 troops.
All sides within the battle has categorized its casualty figures, and RFE/RL can not corroborate accounts by both facet of battlefield developments within the areas of the heaviest combating.
Capturing Soledar and its salt mines would have symbolic, navy, and business worth for Russia and could be Moscow’s most substantial achieve in months.
Salt Of The Earth: Deep Inside Jap Ukraine’s Huge Soledar Mines
Russian forces in Ukraine are attempting to seize the japanese salt-mining city of Soledar in a sustained offensive that Kyiv’s Protection Ministry has described as “maniacal.” In 2019, RFE/RL’s Amos Chapple visited Soledar because the salt-mining operation hoped to crack Western markets.
Because the battle for Soledar raged, Russia introduced on January 11 that it has once more changed the commander of its forces in Ukraine.
Chief of the Basic Employees Valery Gerasimov was appointed to supervise the invasion in a reshuffle introduced by Protection Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Gerasimov replaces Sergei Surovikin, who will turn out to be one Gerasimov’s three deputies, the ministry mentioned.
The Ukrainian Basic Employees mentioned early on January 11 that its troops had fought off Russian assaults in three japanese areas.
It additionally reminded Ukrainians throughout the nation to be alert for potential long-distance air strikes, though the tempo of such Russian bombing of civilian and infrastructure targets has eased for the reason that large bombardments on the finish of December and early January.
