The city of Solidar, located in eastern Ukraine, was taken yesterday by the forces of the Russian Wagner group after fierce fighting this week. Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is close to the Kremlin, confirmed on social media that his forces “have taken control of all areas of Solidar” and that “fighting on the street” continues. But the Kremlin stressed the importance of not “rushing” to announce victory in Solidar. The agency cites Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, adding that there is a “positive trend” in Solidar.
The extent of the Wagner group’s control over the city was unclear and could not be verified, but Prigozhin confirmed that “Wagner units have taken control of all areas of Solidar”, indicating that the city is under fighting. center, while a businessman close to the Kremlin added: The number of prisoners will be announced later.
Ukraine has said its army has entrenched itself in the town of Solidar, which includes a salt mine in the Donetsk region, about 15 kilometers from the town of Bakhmut, which Russia has been trying to control for months, and both sides confirmed that the fighting in Solidar was fierce.
Prigozhin published a photograph of him in military uniform, surrounded by Wagner fighters, without explaining where it was taken, and the Russian public news agency RIA Novosti reported another photograph of him, accompanied by armed fighters, indicating that it was taken in the salt mines of Solidar. . , and Prigozhin said in previous statements: The attack on Solidar was launched “exclusively” by Wagner units. For its part, the regional defense headquarters of the Donetsk People’s Republic announced yesterday the liberation of the city of Podgorodnoye, Soledarsky district, the day after taking control of the city of Soledar.
“Since January 11, 2023, the Russian Armed Forces have liberated Podgorodnoye on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the regional defense headquarters of the republic said in a statement on the official Telegram channel. Solidar is of strategic importance for the Kyiv regime, as it is located in the middle of the Artemovsk-Seversk defense line, where the Ukrainian army has created powerful defensive fortifications.
The release of Solidar would make it possible to block the direct supply route between Artemovsk and Seversk, as well as to cover Artemovsk from the north side.
In turn, Acting President of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin said that in the process of liberation of the city of Solidar, an important turning point had occurred in Donetsk.
In an exclusive interview with the Solovyov Live TV channel, Pushilin said: “During the operation to liberate the city of Solidar, a turning point occurred, as a gap appeared in the defense of the Ukrainian army, and the area became open to the Russian army, and the city of Maryinka is in front of us.
In addition, yesterday the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that a Russian Aerospace Forces fighter destroyed a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter in the Donetsk People’s Republic. “A fighter of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the area of the settlement of Popov Yar of the Donetsk People’s Republic shot down a Su-27 of the Ukrainian Air Force,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Peskov: Russia is ready to resolve the Ukrainian crisis and achieve its goals through negotiations and peaceful means
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is ready to resolve the Ukrainian crisis through negotiations and achieve its goals peacefully, stressing that this is the best option.
“Russia has always been ready to solve problems through negotiations, and President Putin has repeatedly said: we remain ready to do this, and there is no doubt that achieving our goals through peaceful, political and diplomatic means is the preferred option. but in conditions where it is prohibited by law,” Peskov told reporters. Ukraine The President of Ukraine should have any contacts with us or conduct any dialogue with us, and since it is clear that Westerners are not inclined to allow Kyiv any flexibility in this matter, there is no need to talk about any prospects at the present time.
In another context, Peskov considered that the anger of Western countries about corruption in Ukraine, after pumping money there, is growing.
He added: “While we see that the countries of the so-called collective West, that is, the member states of the alliance led by the United States, confirm their willingness to continue to allocate funds and transfer weapons to Ukraine, we are seeing some problems with the military-industrial complex of these countries with the depletion of their stocks of weapons and ammunition”, believing that, despite all the difficulties, they will continue to pour weapons and money into Ukraine.
