AFP

Ukraine: Wagner Group claims control of Soledar, Kyiv denies

Russian mercenary group Wagner on Wednesday claimed control of the town of Soledar, which has been the scene of heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine in recent days, a claim that Kyiv immediately denied. Soledar, once known for its salt mines, is near the main town of Bakhmout, which Ukrainians have been fiercely defending against waves of Russian forces for several months. The strategic importance of Soledar is disputed, but its capture would allow Moscow to finally claim a military victory after several humiliating setbacks since last September, and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to his growing influence on the Russian political scene to strengthen. Tomorrow Mr. Prigojine via his social media messaging service. However, he added that “urban battles” would continue in pockets of resistance downtown, making the extent of the Russian group’s control over Soledar uncertain. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti published a photo of Mr Prigozhin with armed militants and said it was taken at the Soledar salt mines. The Ukrainian army has denied these claims, asserting that the town of Soledar “was, is and always will be Ukrainian”. It is “not true” that Mr. Prigozhin is in the Soledar salt mines, the Ukrainian military said. AFP could not in any way independently verify the situation on the ground. M. Prigozhin said Ukraine’s “prisoner count” would be released on Wednesday – “Exclusively” Wagner – The Russian military did not immediately comment on this statement by Wagner, whose influence has clearly waned since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Many analysts believe that there is stiff competition between Wagner and the Russian Prigozhin claimed that Soledar was stormed “exclusively” by Wagner units without the help of the army. For his part, one of the main pro-Russian separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine, Denis Pushilin, said the announcement of the capture of Soledar represented a “turning point”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated this week that his troops are fighting back “violent attacks” in Soledar. On Tuesday evening he reported on a “difficult situation” in the Donetsk region, where Soledar is located, made “tactical advances” in Soledar in the past four days and “most likely tried to encircle Bachmout from the north” and “close Ukrainian lines to disturb”. of communication”. Old salt mine in Soledar, because its tunnels run under the front and could be used to “seep behind enemy lines”. the surprise visit of German diplomatic chief Annalena Baerbock to this city in north-eastern Ukraine. Invited by her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kouleba, who accompanied her to Kharkiv, assured Ms. Baerbock that Ukraine could do so. Starlink Internet will count on the “solidarity” and “support” of Germany. She also announced new supplies of generators for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which Russia is systematically bombing. Kouleba, for his part, called on Germany to supply heavy armaments to Ukraine. “The longer such a decision is delayed, the more casualties there will be, the more civilian deaths there will be,” he said. For his part, Zelenskyy announced Tuesday night that he had stripped Ukrainian citizenship of wealthy businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, a close friend of Vladimir Putin who Kyiv has accused of treason in favor of Russia. The Siberian-born man, who was considered the Russian president’s man in Ukraine, was handed over to Russia in a prisoner swap between Kyiv and Moscow in late September 2022 after being imprisoned in Ukraine for more than five months.bur/mba