Jan 13 (Portal) – Ukraine said its troops were holding out against pro-Moscow troops in the eastern salt-mining town of Soledar as more than 500 civilians, including children, were trapped there.
STRUGGLE
* Ukrainian forces held out in the eastern salt-mining town of Soledar on Friday after a “hot” night of fighting, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said.
* The ultra-nationalist Wagner contract militia, led by an ally of Russian President Putin, had claimed to have taken Soledar. Moscow has held back from officially announcing victory.
* A capture of Soledar, which had a pre-war population of 10,000, would be Moscow’s biggest gain in a series of retreats throughout much of the second half of 2022.
* Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February has prompted more than 50,000 reports of alleged war crimes, Ukraine’s top war crimes prosecutor Yuri Beluzov said, as grim details of the alleged torture emerged.
MILITARY
* France hopes to deliver AMX 10-RC light main battle tanks to Ukraine in two months, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.
* A Russian Foreign Ministry official said Belarus could enter the conflict in Ukraine if Kyiv decides to invade either country. Russia used Belarus as a springboard to invade Ukraine in February 2022 and has stationed troops in Belarus for joint military exercises since October. But the border area is now badly soaked, making an imminent Russian attack unlikely.
* Kremlin observers are examining Russia’s recent change in leadership on the battlefield after Valery Gerasimov, chief of the military general staff, was unexpectedly given direct command of the invasion.
BUSINESS
* A close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed confiscating property and assets from Russians who discredit the country’s armed forces and oppose the war in Ukraine.
* China’s exports and imports with Russia hit a new high of 1.28 trillion yuan in 2022, Lyu Daliang, spokesman for the General Administration of Customs, said at a news conference in Beijing. Trade with Russia accounted for 3% of China’s annual sales, he added.
Compiled by Grant McCool and Michael Perry; Edited by Kim Coghill and Philippa Fletcher
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