Russian President Vladimir Putin today praised his forces after their claimed capture of a Ukraine town and in the wake of a missile strike that killed 23 people in a tower block.
The taking of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, a salt-mining outpost, which was home to 10,000 people before the conflict, was hailed as a major success by Moscow after months of humiliating setbacks on the battlefield.
Putin revealed that everything is developing according to plans,” Putin said, in an interview broadcasted today.
Russia’s defence ministry announced this week that it had “completed the liberation” of Soledar.
This could be a key gain as Russian forces push towards what has been their main target since October — the nearby transport crossroads of Bakhmut.
Ukraine denied the claims and said heavy fighting continued in Soledar.
The US-based Institute for the Study of War has said that “Ukrainian forces are highly unlikely to still hold positions within the settlement of Soledar.
