According to the Ministry of Defense in Kyiv, the fight for the small town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine continues. Ukrainian soldiers tried to prepare against the intense Russian attacks, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote in Telegram today. “The night was hot, the fighting continued.”
The enemy threw all the main forces in the direction of Donetsk, its offensive is still strong. Ukrainian soldiers tried to hold the defenses. “This is a difficult phase of the war, but we will win. There is no doubt about it,” Maljar said.
Kyiv granted land gains
The Russian military has been trying to break through Ukrainian defenses in this part of Ukraine for several weeks now. The mission is to bring the entire Donetsk region, which Moscow has illegally annexed, under Russian control.
The government in Kyiv admitted that the Russians had gained ground, but denied having withdrawn its own garrison from Soledar. In doing so, she contradicted the head of the Russian Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigoshin, who reported on Wednesday that his fighters had completely taken control.
Russia spoke of “positive dynamics”
The leadership in Moscow was still unwilling to declare victory in the battle for the small location in eastern Ukraine, which it described as strategically important. But there is a “positive dynamic”, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
According to a report by the TASS news agency, Russian authorities based in the occupied territories of the Donetsk region, where Soledar is located, said that there were still “pockets of resistance” in Soledar.