Russia renews attempt to take town of Soledar near Bakhmut

Russian troops are making one other try and advance on the small city of Soledar close to Bakhmut in Ukraine’s japanese Donetsk area, Deputy Protection Minister Hanna Maliar stated on Telegram Monday.

“After an unsuccessful [previous] try and seize Soledar and retreat, the enemy regrouped, restored losses, deployed extra assault models, modified ways and launched a strong assault,” Maliar stated. “In the mean time, the enemy has engaged numerous assault teams fashioned from the perfect reserves of the Wagner’s troops. The enemy is advancing actually on the corpses of their very own troopers, massively utilizing artillery, a number of rocket launchers and mortars, masking even their very own fighters with fireplace.”

Earlier on Monday, Serhii Cherevatyi, a Ukrainian army spokesperson, instructed Ukrainian TV that Russia had “managed to pay attention extra of its models” round Soledar and was deploying each “common” troops and mercenaries working for the personal sector group Wagner there.

The top of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, stated Sunday that one of many causes he needed to take over Bakhmut and Soledar so as to management the system of mines in that space, which he described as “a community of underground cities.”

Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Jap Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stated they have been attempting to evacuate civilians from Soledar however not everybody was keen to depart.

“Soledar is definitely destroyed,” he stated. “There are residents there. Every part is being executed to evacuate them. It’s tough to speak in regards to the numbers now. There is part of individuals, particularly the older era, who’ve an ideal worry of change, of leaving their properties and to maneuver someplace. We’re speaking with them, however not all the time everybody agrees [to leave].”

On Sunday evening, President Volodymr Zelensky stated that Soledar was “holding out” nevertheless it was “extraordinarily laborious.”