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Soledar, one of the last cities in dispute in the midst of the war in Ukraine, is the center of conflicting information about which part of the conflict controls it. After the Wagner group proclaimed “victory”, the Ukrainian Army denied that information on January 11 and indicated that fighting for the besieged town continues. Meanwhile, the Russian and Ukrainian governments announced that they had agreed to exchange another 40 prisoners.
Soledar and Bakhmut, the epicenter of the fiercest fighting in Ukraine.
In both cities in the east of the attacked country, the Ukrainian army and Moscow troops, backed by the Russian mercenary group Wagner, are fighting a life-and-death battle for control. This was confirmed by the kyiv forces on Wednesday, January 11.
In recent hours, the spokesman for the Eastern Ukraine Group of Forces, Serhiy Cherevaty, maintained that the Russian claims that his men had conquered Soledar were “false” and told local television that the intensity of the battles in the area could be compared to World War II.
The senior military official added that the Ukrainian soldiers have not allowed the Russians to break through the front lines.
In addition, in its daily update, the General Staff listed the devastated salt mining city among the cities and towns that continue to be bombed and fought against invading troops.
Russian Ministry of Defense assures that its men surround Soledar
Shortly after the reports from kyiv, the Kremlin Defense Ministry said Kiev units surrounded Soledar from the north and south, while the Russian Air Force attacked Ukrainian positions there.
Likewise, the Russian portfolio admitted that its soldiers are fighting for the strategic town. A version that contrasts with the information released a day earlier by Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner’s boss, who proclaimed control of the city.
But the fate of the city seems to hang by a thread. The West indicates that the feared Russian movement, accused of serious harassment in conflicts in other countries such as Mali and Yemen, is playing an increasingly relevant role in the war ordered by Vladimir Putin, which is close to 11 months old.
Though unlikely to provide a turning point in the war, Soledar’s fall to the Kremlin’s men after months of strong Ukrainian defense would be a watershed on the battlefield and offer Moscow a key springboard for its efforts to encircle the nearby town of Bakhmut.
Russia also appeals to the support of its allies. On Wednesday, the Defense Ministry of Belarus, a country on the northern border of Ukraine, announced that the joint air defense forces with Russia have been reinforced, with new missile units commissioned.
Moscow and kyiv agree to exchange 40 prisoners of war
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, confirmed the handover of 40 people from each country captured during the conflict, after meeting her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Lubinets, in Turkey.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the international conference of ombudsmen in Ankara and the announcement came after Moskalkova initially reported that she and Lubinets were discussing humanitarian assistance for citizens of Russia and Ukraine.
A Turkish source added that the two sides could discuss a humanitarian corridor and the situation of children who fled the war.
Despite the fierce confrontations and the fact that there is no plan for talks to end the conflict on the table, both countries have carried out various prisoner exchanges.
The most recent occurred on Sunday, January 8, when kyiv released 50 Russian soldiers detained during the conflict, in exchange for another 50 Ukrainian soldiers who were in Russian hands.
With Reuters, AP and local media
