Battle for Bakhmut: Soledar Witnesses Heavy Fighting between Wagner Militia, Ukrainian Troops

Russian mercenary group Wagner said Tuesday it was fighting a “heavy, bloody battle” for control of the city of Soledar as part of Russia’s months-long offensive to capture Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

“Heavy bloody fighting takes place on the western outskirts of Soledar. armed forces of ukraine Honorably defending Soledar’s territory,” Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on social media.

Kremlin-linked businessmen, who have been hit by Western sanctions, also rejected allegations that Ukrainian forces were fleeing the front line in Soledar.

“Let’s be honest with ourselves. The Ukrainian army is fighting bravely for Bakhmut and Soledar. Reports of their mass desertion are not true, said Prigozhin, quoted by his press office on Telegram.

Soledar is about 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the war-torn town of Bakhmut, which has become the epicenter of fighting in recent months.

The capture of Bakhmut – a town with a pre-war population of 70,000 – is now one of Moscow’s main military objectives, nearly a year into the Ukraine mission.

Prigozhin said earlier this week that Soledor was being attacked “specifically” by Wagner units, adding that they were fighting fiercely for the city’s administration building.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a late Monday address that his troops were facing a “new and even tougher attack” on Soledar.

He said that the city had been flattened by the fighting. “Everything is completely destroyed.”

Britain’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that Moscow’s forces were “in control of most” of Soledar.

Prigozhin and Wagner’s public personas have grown significantly since the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine.

The businessman has recruited prisoners to fight in Ukraine, promising amnesty upon their return if they survive.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)