Located in the Donetsk People's Republic, Soledar has been the arena of heavy battles, but today the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced it has seized control of the town. It has further assured that this will also block any possible routes to be taken by Ukrainian forces in Artemovsk - renamed as  Bakhmut by Ukraine in 2016.

The MoD calculated that over the past three days, more than 700 Ukrainian troops were killed and 300 pieces of weaponry alongside a helicopter and three planes were destructed in Soledar. It was also reported that nine HIMARS, Olha and Uragan rockets were also shot down. 

🇷🇺⚔️💥 🔥 🇺🇦 Fighting in Soledar,where the fighters of the "Wagner" PMCs seek to take control of the city administration

Video from the Ukrainian side. pic.twitter.com/4iZdz3Ow50

— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZgeopolitics) January 9, 2023

Russian MoD spokesperson Igor Konashenkov stated during a press briefing on Friday, "The liberation of the settlement of Soledar, important for the continuation of successful offensive operations in the Donetsk region, was completed on the evening of January 12,"

The Russian military attributed the successful reclaiming of Soledar to constant strikes by aircraft, rocket and artillery units, which prevented the transfer of ammunition, and blocked the withdrawals to new defense lines, while Russian Airborne Forces simultaneously occupied heights and blockaded the town.

Rest of DPR soon

This follows a Tuesday announcement by DPR head Denis Pushilin that fighters from Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, acquired full control of the town. "Units of the Wagner private military company have taken the entire territory of Soledar under their control. The city center has been surrounded, and urban warfare is underway." Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner group, said on the military group's telegram account.

DPR lawmaker Vladislav Berdichevsky relayed to Sputnik on Thursday that the seizing of Soledar means the remainder of Donbass would follow.

🇷🇺⚔️🇺🇦The first video of PMCs "Wagner" from Salt Mine in Soledar.

PMCS fighter: — Ukrainians are already standing about two kilometers above our head, well, nothing - it's all temporary.

Prigozhin: — Are they standing at the bottom or not? Let's go, maybe we'll get to them. pic.twitter.com/r15bA1nAla

— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZgeopolitics) January 11, 2023

However, major areas in the DPR remain under severe shelling by US-manufactured weaponry and HIMARS rounds, with the intensity of fire increasing day by day. 

In Artemovsk (Bakhmut), Russian forces continue to advance toward the densely populated areas of the city after they succeeded more than a month ago in tightening their siege on the Ukrainian forces present there, while they continue to bombard their positions with missiles and artillery.

Western media have been speaking about the Battle of Bakhmut for over a month now, in which Kiev's allies fear that Russian control over it will be key to the collapse of the entire front in the hands of the Russian forces during the harsh winter, while Russian sources confirm that the Ukrainian forces and mercenaries are suffering heavy losses in lives and equipment.

Bakhmut has been an important transport hub for supplying the Ukrainian troops in the Donbass during the Ukraine war. A US official confirmed during a press briefing last Wednesday that the Russian army has made "gradual progress in the city of Bakhmut," located on the western outskirts of the DPR region.

Read more: No prospect for peace talks with Ukraine: Kremlin