‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ troops announce Russian capture of Soledar, marking third time Moscow’s forces have made this claim

The Territorial Defense Force of the Russian-annexed “Donetsk People’s Republic” reported Tuesday that Russian forces had taken control of the town of Soledar in the Donetsk region, marking the third time in seven days that the purported capture has been announced.

The first time Russia claimed victory in Soledar was on January 11, when Wagner mercenary group founder Evgeny Prigozhin’s press service reported that his fighters had “fully liberated” the town. A day earlier, Prigozhin had said that Wagner forces were the only troops involved in the storming of Soledar.

On January 13, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the city had been captured by a “hybrid grouping of Russian forces” on the evening of January 12. The ministry later confirmed that the Wagner Group had been responsible for the direct assault on the town.

Ukrainian authorities have yet to confirm a full Ukrainian retreat from the town. On January 16, Ukrainian military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevaty said that Ukrainian forces are still defending positions in Soledar and on the town’s outskirts.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ daily report that was published Tuesday said that in the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian forces had successfully repelled Russian attacks in 20 towns and villages, one of which was Soledar.