— The fierce battles for Donetsk continue, the battle for Bakhmut and Soledar, for Kreminna and for other towns and villages in the eastern parts of our country continues, says President Zelensky in his speech on Saturday night.
At noon on Friday, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russia controls all of Soledar. However, Ukraine has always denied the information but admitted that the situation is difficult and that the fighting is fierce.
Already on Thursday, the American think tank Institute for the study of war (ISW) stated that Russian forces probably control most of Soledar. ISW referred to video clips from the city published by Russian military bloggers, in which mercenaries from the paramilitary Wagner group fighting for Russia are seen walking freely in central Soledar.
However, it is unclear exactly which Russian forces are behind the offensive against Soledar. But on Friday, an unusual tribute came from the Russian Ministry of Defense to the mercenaries who fight in Soledar for the paramilitary Wagner Group.
In his speech, Zelenskyy points out that there has been different information about Soledar from the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Wagner Group and that it is a signal that something is wrong.
— They already disagree about who should take credit for the victory. It is a clear signal of failure from the enemy, says Volodymyr Zelenskyy.