Russian businessman and founder of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed on Tuesday that the town of Soledar, on the outskirts of Bakhmut, is the scene of «bloody battles» where the Armed Forces of Ukraine «honorably defend» their territory.
«On the western outskirts of Soledar there are heavy bloody battles. The Armed Forces of Ukraine honorably defend the territory of Soledar,» the tycoon said on his official Telegram channel.
In this way, Prigozhin came out to deny certain reports that Ukrainian National Security Service officers had gone to Soledar and Bakhmut due to the increase in the number of deserting soldiers in the area.
«Let’s be honest. This is not true. The Ukrainian Army is fighting bravely for Bajmut and Soledar (…) The information about the mass desertion is not true», assured the tycoon, a close ally of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
The efforts of the Russian Armed Forces have been focused in recent days on unsuccessfully gaining control of the town of Bajmut and its surroundings, where there is not only Soledar, but also Bajmutske, a small locality that Moscow has assured this Monday to have conquered.
Bakhmut has recently become one of the hottest spots in the conflict in Ukraine. The Kiev authorities have repeatedly detailed that it is precisely in this town that Russia is now concentrating almost all its efforts.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
