Moscow announced on Friday that it had taken the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut – but Ukrainian authorities want nothing to do with it.
The eastern Ukrainian cities of Soledar and Bakhmut are currently the most disputed areas in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Already on Wednesday, Yevgeny Prigoshin of the Wagner mercenary unit reported that the strategically important city had been taken. Ukraine denied this and Moscow remained silent until Friday, when Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced: “By the night of January 12, the liberation of the city of Soledar has been completed!”
However, the Ukrainian side once again made contradictory statements: the regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on television on Saturday: “Soledar is controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, our military controls it.” The struggle “inside and outside the cities” continues unabated. Due to the dangerous situation in the area, the information provided by the two warring parties cannot be independently verified – the actual situation in Soledar remains a mystery.
First attacks of the year on the capital
According to Kiev authorities, Russia has again bombed the capital with rockets. In addition to Kyiv, the regions of Kharkiv and Zaporizhia were also affected, with the Russian military mainly targeting critical infrastructure.
The governor of the central Ukrainian region of Cherkasy also expects another violent rocket attack by the Russians on Saturday. Meanwhile, the governor of the southern region of Mykolayiv reports the launch of 17 Russian Tupolev bombers.
risk of confusion
According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, parts of a rocket landed in an uninhabited area in Kyiv without injuring anyone. According to the presidential office, however, a house was also hit by a rocket in a residential area in Kiev – it is not yet clear if there were any casualties.
The Kiev president’s office urged people to take the air strike seriously and seek protection. It was feared that the sounds of the explosion could be confused with those produced by Russian anti-aircraft missiles or drones.
Browsing account ff Time15.01.2023, 06:25| Act: 01/15/2023, 06:25