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After months of fighting, Russia’s ministry of defense claims it has captured the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar — a claim that Ukrainian military officials deny.
If taken, the salt-mining town would be a rare military victory for Russia in its Ukraine war.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian military, Serhiy Cherevaty, says that Russia’s statements „do not correspond to reality. Battles are going on in Soledar.“
Amid days of intense fighting, there were conflicting statements on who controlled Soledar. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Russian mercenary force the Wagner Group, claimed his men had seized the town as early as Tuesday, while still acknowledging a „cauldron“ of fighting persisted.
Russia’s capture of Soledar „is and isn’t significant,“ explains Karolina Hird, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. „Russian forces, throughout the course of this war, have struggled to make operationally significant gains to such a degree that when they do start making these tactical, small-scale block-by-block advances, those stand out.
