Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that his forces were resisting “new, more violent attacks” in Soledar, near Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that Moscow has been trying to capture for months.
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President Zelensky said in his daily message, “I thank all our soldiers who are silently protecting (…) and the fighters in Solidar who are resisting new attacks, more violent than the invaders.”
Soledar, in the Donetsk region, is about 15 kilometers from Bakhmut, a town that had a population of about 70,000 before the start of the Russian offensive last February, and which is now the epicenter of the fighting.
“Thanks to the resistance of our soldiers there, in Solidar, we gained extra time and (preserved) forces for Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
“Everything was completely destroyed (…) the entire territory of Solidar is covered with the bodies of the invaders and bears the scars of the explosions. This is what madness looks like,” added the Ukrainian president.
Earlier in the day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said they had repulsed an attempt to capture Solidar, and then fighting resumed.
“After the enemy’s failed attempt to capture Solidar (…the Russians) regrouped, restored manpower, transferred additional assault units, changed tactics and launched attacks,” the deputy said. Defense Minister Jana Maliar on Telegram.
At the moment, the enemy has deployed a large number of offensive units made up of the best reserves of the Wagner Group. “They are literally trampling on the bodies of their soldiers,” she added.
In a press release, the leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, for his part, confirmed that the attack on Solidar was carried out “exclusively” by members of his organization.
Earlier, pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk region claimed to have taken control of the village of Pakhmutsky, a few kilometers from Solidar.
In September, Moscow announced that it had annexed four Ukrainian regions in the east, including the Donetsk region, after referendums that were not recognized by Kyiv and Western countries.
