Russia claims control of Soledar after months of fighting
Maxar satellite imagery of bombed out apartment buildings and homes in Soledar, Ukraine.
Maxar | Maxar | Getty Images
Russia says it has taken control of Soledar, the eastern Ukrainian salt mining town in Donetsk that has been the site of bloody fighting for months. Russian authorities called the development a “crucial step.”
The town is highly strategic as Russian control of it will cut off Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, a city that has seen some of the war’s heaviest fighting in recent months.
Ukrainian officials said as recently as Friday afternoon that their forces continue to hold out after “hot” battles overnight.
— Natasha Turak
France hopes to send Ukraine light tanks in coming months; more Western countries may follow
France aims to send light combat tanks to Ukraine in two months, French armed forces minister Sébastien Lecornu said in a statement after holding a phone call with Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov.
The promise of the French AMX 10-RC tanks signifies a step-up in weapons provisions from the West to Ukraine, as tanks were previously deemed too much of an escalation risk to give to the Ukrainians. The recent decision to send tanks from the U.S. as well as the U.S.’s Patriot air defense system and Patriot missile batteries from Germany indicate that Western allies are ready to send more previously-withheld heavy weaponry to Ukraine ahead of an anticipated Russian spring offensive.
— Natasha Turak
Russian-installed official: ‘Pockets of resistance’ remain in Soledar
This grab taken from AFP video footage shows a member of Ukraine’s military looking away as a BM-21’Grad’ MLRS 122mm rocket launcher fires on the outskirts of Soledar on January 11, 2023.
Arman Soldin | Afp | Getty Images
Conflicting reports continue to emerge concerning the salt mining town of Soledar in Ukraine’s embattled eastern Donetsk province.
Andrey Baevsky, a Russia-installed official in Donetsk, told Russian media outlet TASS that there are still “pockets of resistance” of Ukrainian troops holding out, after the head of the Russian private military firm Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Tuesday that his forces had captured the town.
“At the moment, indeed, there are still separate small pockets of resistance in Soledar, (but) our guys continue to crush the enemy in these places,” Baevsky said.
“In general, the operation developed successfully and the western outskirts of Soledar are already completely under our control,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Prigozhin’s assertion, saying on Wednesday night: “The fighting continues. The Donetsk direction is holding out. And we do everything, without stopping for a single day, to strengthen Ukrainian defense.”
— Natasha Turak
White House declines to say if U.S. will equip Ukraine with main battle tanks
White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, November 28, 2022.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
The White House declined to say whether the U.S. would specifically provide Ukraine with main battle tanks after other countries recently announced similar commitments.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a daily briefing that some weapons and equipment that Ukraine requests “won’t always come from the United States,” though a significant portion has.
Kirby said there are a wide variety of factors including location, timelines and future maintenance requirements, that contribute to the makeup of U.S. security assistance packages for Ukraine.
He added that the U.S. routinely works with Ukraine on “understanding their needs and capabilities” when assembling military aid packages.
Last week, Washington announced its largest package since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began nearly a year ago.
The upcoming military aid package, the 29th such tranche, brings U.S. commitment to Ukraine’s fight to about $24.9 billion since the beginning of the Biden administration.
New to this aid package are 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, armored tracked vehicles manufactured by U.S. defense firm BAE Systems. Bradleys are typically equipped with a rotating turret, mounted 25mm gun and TOW anti-tank missiles. The U.S. will provide 500 TOW anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of ammunition for use with the Bradleys.
— Amanda Macias
Zelenskyy praises troops holding the Ukrainian cities of Soledar and Bakhmut as Russian fighting intensifies
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint press conference with President of Guatemala Alejandro Giammattei on July 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Alexey Furman | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised his country’s forces for holding the cities of Soledar and Bakhmut as Russian fighting intensifies.
He vowed to funnel additional weapons to the Ukrainian troops in those regions and on the frontlines.
“The day will definitely come when the Ukrainian flag will be absolutely on par with all flags of the EU member states,” Zelenskyy said in a nightly address shared on his official Telegram channel.
— Amanda Macias