Ukraine war: Soledar city 'controlled' by Kyiv, fighting ongoing, says report

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

The salt-mining city of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, which has been the latest flashpoint in the ongoing war, is now controlled by Ukraine, an official said on Saturday (January 14), adding the fighting is still going on. "Soledar is controlled by Ukrainian authorities, our military controls it," regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on national television, news agency AFP reported. Kyrylenko said battles continue inside and outside the city. The regional governor added that Soledar and the nearby city of Bakhmut were the hottest spots on the frontline.

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For days, Soledar has been the focus of a relentless Russian assault. Ukraine's claim on Saturday comes a day after Russia said that its forces took control of the city. "The capture of Soledar was made possible by the constant bombardment of the enemy by assault and army aviation, missile forces and artillery of a grouping of Russian forces, "the defence ministry said in a statement on Friday. The ministry said that seizing Soledar would make it possible to cut off Ukrainian supply routes to Bakhmut and trap remaining Ukrainian forces there.

Ukraine has repeatedly denied Russia's claims of capturing the salt-mining city.

Both Soledar and Bakhmut come under the Donetsk region, which Russia unilaterally claimed to have annexed in September last year despite only partly occupying it. The capture of Donetsk is being seen as a war objective of the Kremlin, a report by news agency Reuters on Saturday said.

However, Ukraine's allies in the West see the capture of the two cities as a fight for marginal gains on a stretch of the front where neither side can make a big breakthrough. "Even if both Bakhmut and Soledar fall to the Russians, it's not going to have a strategic impact on the war itself," US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at the White House.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the United Kingdom's (UK) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that his government would provide tanks to Ukraine to push Russian troops. Sunak pledged to supply Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems. This makes the UK the first Western power to supply Kyiv with main battle tanks, the PA news agency reported. Last week, France, Germany and the United States pledged to send armoured fighting vehicles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, welcomed Britain's decision by tweeting, "In a conversation with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, I thanked (him) for the decisions that will not only strengthen us on the battlefield but also send the right signal to other partners."

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