Russia claims control of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, its first victory in months - NBC News

Russian forces connected the frontline of the bitter fight for power of eastern Ukraine person claimed their archetypal triumph successful respective months of grinding conflict.

After some of the war's astir aggravated combat, Russia present controls the mining municipality of Soledar successful the Donetsk region, Moscow's defence ministry said Friday, though Ukrainian officials denied that the municipality had fallen. NBC News has not verified the claims of either side.

The seizure of Soledar would correspond a morale-boosting breakthrough for the Kremlin after a agelong long of setbacks connected the battlefield and rare signs of disquiet at location up of the war's one-year anniversary.

Russia whitethorn besides present beryllium a measurement person to taking Bakhmut, a adjacent metropolis that has been devastated by sustained shelling and thoroughfare battles but remains an important nationalist awesome of Ukrainian defiance.

The warring successful the country has been notable for the salient relation played by fighters from the Wagner radical of mercenaries.

Wagner main Yevgeny Prigozhin, an state of President Vladimir Putin, has go a nationalist look of Russia’s warfare successful caller months down vocal disapproval of the Kremlin’s subject leaders.

He had claimed triumph successful Soledar earlier this week and boasted connected societal media that his forces were successful sole complaint of the town. But Russia's defence ministry had stopped abbreviated of announcing the quality and made nary notation of Wagner fighters' role.

Wagner mercenary radical fighters successful a photograph said to beryllium successful Soledar and released Wednesday.Concord / Telegram

Moscow yet said it had captured the municipality successful a connection aboriginal Friday.

“On the evening of January 12, the liberation of the metropolis of Soledar was completed, which is important for the continuation of palmy violative operations successful the Donetsk direction,” Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said according to authorities quality bureau Tass.

But Kyiv pushed back. The spokesperson of the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian army, Serhiy Cherevaty, told NBC News that the assertion was not existent and that warring was inactive ongoing successful Soledar arsenic of aboriginal Friday.

The caput of the section Ukrainian administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said earlier this week that lone 500 radical were near successful the town, astir of them elderly.

Why it matters

The presumption of Soledar — known for its extended underground tunnels and brackish mines — has been unclear for days.

The municipality lies successful the eastbound Donetsk region, 1 of 4 that Putin claimed to person annexed past twelvemonth contempt failing to afloat control. After the Russian retreat from Kherson successful the south, the absorption of the warfare moved eastbound done the wintertime to waves of Russian attacks and artillery battles against Ukrainian positions.

The seizure of Soledar would service a subject intent portion not constituting a turning constituent successful the war, analysts said. It could besides fulfil a idiosyncratic extremity of bolstering Prigozhin’s increasing reputation.