Vladimir Putin considered that the military operation in Ukraine follows a “positive dynamic”. While Kyiv denies it, he still claims to have captured the city of Soledar.
Russian President Vladimir Putin estimated that the military campaign in Ukraine followed a “positive dynamic” after the announcement of the capture of the city of Soledar, which Kyiv still disputes.
“The dynamics are positive and everything is going according to the plans of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. I hope that our fighters will amaze us with their military achievements more than once,” he said in an interview with Russian state television broadcast on Sunday .
At least 21 Ukrainians killed in strike on building in Dnipro
Asked on the tarmac at an airport near the Russian presidential plane, he answered a Rossia-1 journalist’s question about the “news from Soledar” reportedly captured by the Russian army on Friday.
The capture of this humble place was presented in Moscow as a victory after six months of disappointments, particularly with the retreat of the Kharkiv region and the large city of Kherson in the face of Ukrainian counter-offensives.
According to the Russian army, the capture of Soledar, where there are important salt mines that could theoretically make it possible to protect equipment and penetrate behind enemy lines, is a step towards encircling the neighboring town of Bakhmout, which Moscow has been trying to capture for months.
Uncertainty therefore remains about the fate of Soledar. On Saturday, amid the 325-day war in Ukraine, Kyiv reiterated that this small eastern town has still not fallen into Russian hands.
A fresh wave of shelling hit several Ukrainian cities and towns on Saturday, including an apartment building in Dnipro. At least 21 people – including a child – died and 72 people were injured when the building was shelled, according to city officials on Sunday. About 43 others are also missing.