KYIV, Ukraine—Russia claimed Friday that its forces captured the fiercely contested salt-mining town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities said the fight for the town continued.
Since its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Moscow has prioritized taking full control of the Donbas—a region made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, where it has backed a separatist insurgency since 2014. Russia has seized most of Luhansk, but about half of Donetsk remains under Ukraine’s control.
There have repeatedly been conflicting reports over who controls Soledar. The Associated Press could not independently confirm either side’s claim.
“The liberation of the town of Soledar was completed in the evening of Jan. 12,” said Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry’s spokesman, calling the development “important for the continuation of offensive operations in the Donetsk region.”
Taking control of the town would allow Russian forces to cut supply lines to Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, and then “block and encircle the Ukrainian units there,” Konashenkov said.
But Serhii Cherevaty, a spokesman for the Ukrainian army in the east, denied the town had fallen, telling the AP “there are still Ukrainian units in Soledar.”
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Friday, “The tough battle for Donetsk continues. The battle for Bakhmut and Soledar, for Kreminna, for other towns and villages in the east of our state continues.”
Zelenskyy told the Lithuanian parliament earlier in the day that Kyiv did not intend to give any “breathing space” to Russian forces, and that the coming months will be “decisive” for Ukraine’s fight to defend itself.
Just hours before Russia’s claim, Ukraine reported there had been a heavy night of fighting. In a Telegram post early Friday, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, Hanna Maliar, said Moscow “had sent almost all [its] main forces” to secure a victory in the east.
“This is a difficult stage of the war, but we will win,” Maliar added.
Konashenkov said the storming of Soledar became possible thanks to massive air and artillery strikes and airborne troops’ maneuvers to envelop the city. He didn’t mention the Wagner Group, which previously took credit for capturing Soledar. There have been signs of tensions between the army and the Wagner Group, led by millionaire Yevgeny Prigozhin.
After Prigozhin angrily accused the Defense Ministry of “constantly trying to steal Wagner’s victory,” the Defense Ministry changed course and acknowledged the group’s “courageous and selfless action” to capture Soledar.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian central security agency announced Friday that it is holding counter-sabotage exercises along a section of the border with Belarus. The move comes amidst heightened concern about Belarus’ possible involvement in the war. The country has provided a base for about 10,000 Russian soldiers, and the two countries are to conduct joint military air exercises next week.
