The Ukrainian town of Soledar, north of Bakhmut, has reportedly been seized by the Wagner mercenary group after intense battles in recent days, Russian businessman and founder of the paramilitary organization, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has reported.
«Units of Wagner’s PMC have taken control of the entire territory of Soledar. A cauldron has formed in the center of the city, where urban battles are being fought. The number of prisoners will be announced tomorrow,» Prigozhin detailed in a statement on Telegram.
In this regard, the founder of Wagner has emphasized that no units, except his paramilitary organization, have taken part in the assault on Soledar.
Hours earlier, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, had reported that the Ukrainian town of Soledar, north of Bakhmut, was already under control of the Wagner Group.
«Today, according to the information I have, the center of Soledar is already under the control of (Wagner Group) units,» Pushilin said in statements to Channel One television channel, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.
According to him, some Russian troops have already taken positions in Soledar, while others are moving around the locality «quite effectively» while conducting «a clearing operation» in the western part of the city.
Ukrainian authorities had already warned on Monday that the Russian Army had launched a new offensive against Soledar after the latest failed attempts to seize control of the locality.
The efforts of the Russian Armed Forces had focused in recent days on unsuccessfully gaining control of the town of Bajmut and its surroundings, where not only Soledar is located, but also Bajmutske, a small locality that Moscow claimed on Monday to have conquered.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
