Soledar: Russia claims victory in battle for Ukraine salt mine town - BBC

Russia's subject says it has captured the Ukrainian salt-mine municipality of Soledar aft a agelong battle, calling it an "important" measurement for its offensive.

The triumph would let Russian troops to propulsion connected to the adjacent metropolis of Bakhmut, and chopped disconnected the Ukrainian forces there, a spokesperson said.

This was a precise assured and ambitious connection from Moscow.

But Ukrainian officials said the combat for Soledar was inactive going connected and accused Russia of "information noise".

The conflict for Soledar has been 1 of the bloodiest of the war.

The municipality is comparatively small, with a pre-war colonisation of conscionable 10,000, and its strategical value is debatable. But if it is confirmed that Russian forces person seized power of it, past determination volition apt beryllium a large suspiration of alleviation successful the Kremlin.

Barely immoderate walls successful Soledar stay standing, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week. Describing astir apocalyptic scenes, helium spoke of the adjacent terrain arsenic scarred by rocket strikes and littered with Russian corpses.

His main of staff, Andriy Yermak, compared the combat for Soledar and Bakhmut to 1 of the bitterest battles of World War One, astatine Verdun.

Regional politician Pavlo Kyrylenko said connected Thursday that 559 civilians including 15 children remained successful Soledar and could not beryllium moved out.

The town's value for the Russian subject is disputed by subject analysts due to the fact that of its comparatively tiny size. The US-based deliberation vessel Institute for the Study of War said portion it was apt that Russian forces had captured Soledar, it did not judge they would past beryllium capable to spell connected to encircle Bakhmut.

Nevertheless, if it becomes wide that Russia has taken it, past that volition beryllium seen successful Moscow arsenic advancement - adjacent a victory.

That is precisely what President Vladimir Putin needs arsenic Russia has failed to seizure a azygous municipality successful Ukraine since July 2022. Since then, Moscow's forces person suffered a full bid of embarrassing defeats.

Ukraine's palmy counter-attack pushed Russia astir wholly retired of Kharkiv portion successful the north-east. In October, Russia's Kerch span came nether attack, with Russian forces retreating from the metropolis of Kherson the pursuing month.

The confederate larboard metropolis had been the lone determination superior that Russia had managed to prehend since the penetration began.

Capturing Soledar would beryllium thing for Moscow to contiguous arsenic immoderate "good news" to the Russian radical and the troops connected the wintry beforehand line.

But Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's eastbound subject command, denied Soledar was successful Russian hands: "We won't springiness immoderate much details arsenic we bash not privation to uncover the tactical positions of our fighters."

Deputy Defence Minister, Hanna Malyar, said warring had been "hot successful Soledar overnight". Ukrainian fighters were "bravely trying to clasp the defence", she added, successful what was a hard signifier of the war.

President Volodymyr Zelensky described Soledar, Bakhmut and the wider defence of the Donetsk portion of eastbound Ukraine arsenic the apical contented successful his nightly code precocious connected Thursday.

Western and Ukrainian officials person said overmuch of the warring successful Soledar and Bakhmut is being done by the notoriously brutal Wagner mercenary group.

Its leader, 61-year-old Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed repeatedly implicit the past fewer days that his forces are the lone units connected the crushed successful Soledar. He said connected Tuesday nighttime that his mercenaries had seized the town, lone to beryllium contradicted by Russia's defence ministry the adjacent morning.

Daily updates from the Russian defence ministry person made nary notation whatsoever of Wagner, and Friday's briefing was nary exception. The subject said that paratroopers had played a cardinal portion successful the seizure of the town.

Mr Prigozhin past released a connection saying helium was "surprised" to work the defence ministry briefing. There "wasn't a azygous paratrooper" successful Soledar, helium insisted, informing against "insulting [his] fighters" and "stealing others' achievements".

Analysts person agelong spoken of tensions betwixt the subject and Mr Prigozhin's Wagner group. The Russian oligarch has publically criticised elder subject leaders, including Gen Valery Gerasimov, appointed 2 days agone arsenic wide commandant of Russian forces successful Ukraine.

While Russia has mobilised immoderate 300,000 reservists for the warfare since the extremity of September, Prigozhin has looked to enlistee other numbers from Russia's prisons.

Andriy Yermak told French regular Le Monde that Russian criminals had been sent consecutive to their deaths connected the beforehand line: "Soledar is simply a country of thoroughfare battles, with neither broadside truly successful power of the town."