Russia’s military says it has captured the Ukrainian salt-mining town of Solydar after a long battle, calling it a “key” step in its offensive.
A spokesman said a victory would allow Russian troops to push into the nearby city of Bakhmut and cut off Ukrainian forces there.
It was a very confident and ambitious statement from Moscow.
But Ukrainian officials said the fight for Soledar was still on and accused Russia of “information noise”.
The Battle of Soledar has been one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
The town is relatively small, with a pre-war population of only 10,000, and its strategic importance is debatable. But if it is confirmed that Russian forces have captured it, the Kremlin is likely to breathe a sigh of relief.
Throughout the war, divisions emerged between regular Russian forces and the infamous Russian Wagner paramilitary group, with jealous battles over who should take credit for the advance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that hardly any walls were left standing in Soledar. Describing almost apocalyptic scenes, he described the immediate area as scarred by missile strikes and littered with Russian corpses.
During his overnight address from Kyiv on Friday, Mr Zelenskiy said fighting in the region continued, but avoided any reference to Russia’s claims of control over Soledar.
“Although the enemy has concentrated its largest forces in this direction, our troops – the Armed Forces of Ukraine, all defense and security forces – are defending the state,” the Ukrainian leader said.
His chief of staff, Andrei Yermak, compared the Battle of Soledar and Bakhmut to the bitterest battles of World War I at Verdun.
Regional Governor Pavlo Kirilenko said Thursday that 559 civilians, including 15 children, remain in Soledar and cannot be evacuated.
The importance of the town to the Russian military is disputed by military analysts due to its relatively small size. The US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War said that while it was likely that Russian forces had captured Soledar, it did not believe they would be able to advance to encircle Bakhmut.
Even so, if it becomes clear that Russia has taken it, it will be seen in Moscow as progress — even a victory.
This is exactly what President Vladimir Putin needs as Russia has failed to capture a single Ukrainian town since July 2022. Since then, Moscow’s forces have suffered a series of humiliating defeats.
Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive almost completely pushed Russia out of the Kharkiv region in the northeast. In October, Russia’s Kerch Bridge came under attack, with Russian forces retreating from the city of Kherson the following month.
The southern port city was the only regional capital to be captured by Russia since the invasion began.
Capturing Soledar would present some “good news” to Moscow for the Russian public and soldiers on the winter front line.
But Serhii Chirivati, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Military Command, denied that the Solider was in Russian hands: “We will not give more details because we do not want to reveal the tactics of our fighters.”
Deputy Defense Minister Hina Maliar said fighting was intense overnight in Soledar. He added that the Ukrainian fighters were “valiantly trying to handle the defense”, adding that the war was at a difficult stage.
Western and Ukrainian officials have said much of the fighting in Soledar and Bakhmut is being carried out by the notoriously brutal Wagner mercenary group.
