Ukraine defends the city of Soledar in a hard battle

kyiv. Ukraine reported that its troops are resisting pro-Moscow forces in the eastern salt mining town of Soledar as more than 500 civilians, including children, are trapped.

President Volodimir Zelenskiy said that he and top Ukrainian commanders are discussing the need for reinforcements in Soledar and nearby towns in the eastern industrial area known as Donbas and next steps for the next few days.

“I want to emphasize that the defense units of those cities will receive ammunition and everything they need quickly and without interruption,” Zelensky said on Facebook after meeting with his General Staff.

Russia’s ultranationalist contract militia Wagner Group, led by an ally of President Vladimir Putin, claimed to have taken Soledar after heavy fighting that it said left the city littered with Ukrainian dead.

However, Moscow has refrained from officially claiming a victory, which would be its first significant conquest in six months.

Andrei Bayevskii, a pro-Russian separatist lawmaker from Donetsk, said taking Soledar would “cut the supply lines” used by the Ukrainian army to defend Bakhmut, which Russian forces have been trying to take since last summer.

Soledar is also home to cavernous salt mines, which could be a commercially lucrative asset.