Denis Pushilin, the executive chairman of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic, appeared in the city of Soledar, a city that Moscow claimed to have captured more than a week ago and whose loss Kiev still does not recognize.
On Monday, January 23, the separatists also announced the capture of two villages near Soledar: Krasnopolivka and Dvuretchye. Speaking on Russian television on Monday, the day after his visit to Soledar, Denis Pushilin confirmed that “the city is destroyed“and what’s left”hardly any more entire buildings“.
fierce battle
According to the Russian army, the capture of this city is a step to encircle Bakhmut, which Moscow has been trying to conquer since the summer, and where the two sides are fighting fiercely.
According to Denis Pushilin, the battles there “strengthen“, and the Russian troops “advance payment“. He claimed that units of the “Wagner” military group now control the strategic heights nearby. “The situation remains quite difficult, but our units are advancing almost everywhere“, he then noted, noting:mass transferUkrainian troops in the direction of Bakhmut.
On Sunday night, Denis Pushilin broadcast a video showing what he said was in Soledar, in the middle of buildings with blackened facades and blown windows.
“It was necessary to understand whether there was a need to deploy humanitarian aid points there“, he said there. According to him, “very few inhabitants leftBefore the war, this town of about 11,000 people, located north of Bakhmut.
Ukraine has not recognized the loss of Soledar
The capture of Soledar was announced on January 13 by the Russian army, which unusually recognized the decisive role of Wagner’s mercenaries in this battle. The leader of the paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigogine, had already appeared alongside his men in a video, which he said was filmed in the city’s famous salt mines.
Ukraine has so far not officially recognized the loss of Soledar, saying it continues to fight in its western sector. On Monday, January 23, the governor’s office again passed “active military operations near Bakhmut and Soledar“Without elaborating.
“Wagner’s men, who accompanied us on the journey, told us how bloody the fighting had been hereDenis Pushilin said again.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.