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(Reuters) - The apical Moscow-installed authoritative successful the occupied parts of the Donetsk portion of eastbound Ukraine said precocious connected Sunday that helium had visited the municipality of Soledar that Russia claimed to had captured earlier this month.
Denis Pushilin, the administrator, published a abbreviated video connected the Telegram messaging app that showed him driving and walking amidst uninhabited areas and destroyed buildings.
"I visited Soledar today," Pushilin said successful an accompanying statement.
Reuters was not capable to independently verify erstwhile and wherever the video was taken.
On Jan. 11, the backstage Russian subject radical Wagner said it had captured Soledar and Russian-installed authorities successful Ukraine's eastbound Donetsk portion said past week they were successful power of the salt-mining town.
Ukraine has ne'er publically said that the municipality was taken by Russian forces. On Sunday, the wide unit of its equipped forces said successful a regular update that Russian forces had fired connected Ukrainian positions successful the area.
In his statement, Pushilin said the Soledar mines were damaged and "difficult" to descend into.
The town, unneurotic with the metropolis of Bakhmut conscionable to its northeast, has been the absorption of aggravated warring for months, with Russian proxy forces claiming past week that they had besides captured Klishchiivka, a tiny colony adjacent Bakhmut.
The alleged Donetsk People's Republic is 1 of the 4 regions successful Ukraine that Moscow proclaimed arsenic its ain successful September successful an workout Ukraine and its allies called a "sham," coercive referendum.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly successful Melbourne; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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