Russia claims to have broken through Ukrainian defenses at Soledar, Ukraine denies the claims

Since the evening of January 6, Russian Telegram channels have been reporting that Russian troops have made significant progress in Soledar, outside of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, says BBC’s Russian Service. Ukrainian authorities deny Russian claims. 

Pro-war Russian bloggers have posted about Russian troops “taking control of parts of the city” and “advancing through the city center.” 

These accounts occasionally mention the ceasefire, which Vladimir Putin ordered for the observance of Russian Orthodox Christmas and which is currently in effect. “The truce is for weaklings. PMC Wagner shock troops liberated the town of Pidhorodne on the northeastern outskirts of Artyomovsk [a former Russian name for the city of Bakhmut]. We celebrated Christmas like adults,” writes Russian “war correspondent” Boris Rozhin. 

Ukrainian command and British intelligence reported yesterday that Russian forces were, in fact, forced to weaken their offensive on Bakhmut and transfer a portion of their equipment and firepower to Soledar. The city of Soledar is located 15 kilometers (around 9 miles) from Bakhmut, where Russian forces have been unsuccessfully trying to advance in recent months.

Ukraine says that Russia has not broken through its defenses at Soledar, but confirms that fighting in the area has intensified.

Serhiy Cherevaty, a representative of the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, wrote that “Heavy, bloody fighting is happening there. Since midnight, there have been 76 artillery attacks on the occupiers in that direction, and 10 direct clashes. Our armed forces and command are doing everything possible to inflict the maximum level of damage on enemy personnel and equipment.”

Ukrainian journalist Yuri Butusov posted a photo from Soledar. He says it was taken in the center of the city, which remains under Ukrainian control.