Contradictory Russian claims on the Battle of Soledar

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 11 Jan 2023 by Alex Teddy
On January 11 the head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group said that it had taken Soledar. Evgeny Prigozhin emphasized how tough the battle had been and also praised the Ukrainians for ''honorably and bravely defending the territory''. He also said the claim that Ukrainians are deserting is false. Prigozhin claimed that it was solely Wagner troops who had taken the city. Ukraine claims it is still fighting for Soledar. Putin's spokesman said that Wagner's claim to have taken the city was premature. Soledar is 15 km from Bakhmut which is the pivotal point of the war at the moment. Soledar is the location of Europe's largest salt mine. It is the entrance to hundreds of km of tunnels and these could be a means to advance. Bakhmut does not seem to be strategically important but Russia needs a victory. On January 10 a Russian official Donetsk said that Soledar had almost been taken by Russia. He acknowledged that Russia had taken heavy casualties.  President Zelensky acknowledged the intense fighting for Soledar. He said the city had been almost totally demolished. The United Kingdom said that the Russian had taken most of the city.

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