The Russian mercenary group Wagner has said it is fighting “heavy, bloody battles” for control of the town of Soledar as part of Moscow’s months-long offensive to capture Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
Wagner’s claims appeared to be confirmed by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), which suggested that most of Soledar, a small town about six miles (10km) north of the key city of Bakhmut, was in Russian hands after Moscow continued to make “tactical advances”.
The MoD said the efforts in Soledar over the past four days appeared to be aimed at encircling Bakhmut, although it added it believed that scenario was unlikely at present.
PMC Wagner unit completely wiped out just south of the salt mine in central Soledar. A heavy price is paid with uncontainable losses. pic.twitter.com/g4be7OFD3U
— NOËL 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) January 10, 2023
