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☆ Moscow Says It Has Seized Ukrainian Town of Soledar
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Ian Lovett | Evan Gershkovich | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Moscow’s forces had completed the capture of Soledar overnight, as Ukrainian officials said battles were continuing for control of the eastern town. In its operational briefing on Friday, the ministry said Russian forces were able to capture Soledar after constantly bombarding Ukrainian positions. Russian forces spearheaded by Wagner Group, a private paramilitary organization, had advanced into Soledar in recent days after shifting their firepower there following months of failed attempts to seize the nearby city of Bakhmut.

☆ Russia claims control of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, its first victory in months
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Patrick-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Patrick Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Russian forces on the frontline of the bitter fight for control of eastern Ukraine have claimed their first victory in several months of grinding conflict. After some of the war's most intense combat, Russia now controls the mining town of Soledar in the Donetsk region, Moscow's defense ministry said Friday. He had claimed victory in Soledar earlier this week and boasted on social media that his forces were in sole charge of the town. Wagner mercenary group fighters in a photo said to be in Soledar and released Wednesday. The town lies in the eastern Donetsk region, one of four that Putin claimed to have annexed last year despite failing to fully control.

☆ Russia's top military brass and an infamous mercenary leader are feuding over who gets credit for taking back a Ukrainian town
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Russian army and mercenary organization Wagner Group have both claimed credit for taking a Ukrainian town. Russia has relied on Wagner mercenaries to augment its fighting force as thousands of troops have died in the war. Infamous mercenary organization Wagner Group is feuding with the Russian military over who should get the praise for seizing control of Soledar, a town in eastern Ukraine. Reuters reported that a spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern military denies that Soledar has fallen to Russian forces. If confirmed, the seizure of Soledar would be Russia's biggest advancement in the war since July, according to Reuters.

☆ Putin's military command reshuffle reveals a power struggle at the heart of the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin's latest reshuffle of the top brass in charge of Ukraine operations reveals a deeper power struggle between Moscow's military command and its domestic detractors, analysts say. One of the most prominent and powerful critics of Moscow's strategy in Ukraine is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group — a private military company fighting in Ukraine. His criticism seemed to bear fruit with the October appointment of Gen. Sergei Surovikin as the overall battlefield commander for Russian troops in Ukraine. Nonetheless, Prigozhin's criticism of Russia's military commanders and frequent boasts over the Wagner Group's triumphs have raised heckles in Moscow. Sergei Surovikin, the former commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, seen here in 2021.

☆ Analysis: Russian mercenary boss courts Putin with Ukrainian battlefield success
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Now as the founder of Russia's most powerful mercenary group, he is vying for Vladimir Putin's favour by claiming a rare battlefield win in Ukraine. Russia claimed victory on Friday after Ukraine said its forces were holding on after a 'hot' night of fighting. The defence ministry on Friday attributed victory to its airborne units, missile forces and "artillery of a grouping of Russian forces". Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-controlled RT channel and close to the Kremlin, thanked Prigozhin for Soledar. Despite its sometimes publicly strained ties with the Russian defence ministry, some Western military analysts suspect Wagner is closely affiliated with it.

☆ Former NATO commander says Putin is 'scrambling' for manpower in Ukraine and 'will take anything' at this point
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A former NATO commander said Putin is "scrambling" for manpower in Ukraine. It's a sign of how difficult this fight has become for him," the former NATO commander said. Putin in September declared a partial military mobilization as part of an effort to address Russia's manpower problems, calling up roughly 300,000 reservists. Fighters from the Wagner Group now comprise roughly 10% of Russia's ground forces in Ukraine, according to UK officials, per BBC News. Stavridis said that taking Soledar will give Russian forces a small morale boost but tactically is not a "terribly significant" development in the war.

☆ Russia claims capture of Ukraine's Soledar after ferocious fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russian forces captured the town, long the focus of heavy fighting and bombardment, on Thursday evening, the defence ministry said. It said this would make it possible to cut off Ukrainian supply routes to the larger town of Bakhmut, to the southwest, and trap remaining Ukrainian forces there. "The capture of Soledar was made possible by the constant bombardment of the enemy by assault and army aviation, missile forces and artillery of a grouping of Russian forces," Moscow's defence ministry said. Prigozhin issued a premature claim earlier this week that Soledar had already fallen, and said the fighting there was exclusively being waged by his men. Ukraine says Russia is throwing wave upon wave of soldiers into a pointless fight for a bombed-out wasteland.

☆ Ukraine live updates: Russia says it has control of Soledar after months of fighting; Ukraine is set to receive more Western tanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Russia says it is now in control of the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar in Donetsk, after months of intense fighting. One Russian-appointed official previously said "pockets of resistance" of Ukrainian troops still remained, as Kyiv insisted as recently as Friday afternoon that its forces were still holding out. Soledar is crucial as Russian control of the town can cut off Ukrainian forces fighting in embattled Bakhmut. Western allies prepare to send more heavy weaponry to Ukraine, including equipment previously deemed too provocative, such as tanks, ahead of an anticipated Russian spring offensive. The U.S. is still declining to say whether it will provide the Ukrainians with main battle tanks.

☆ Ukraine Says Fight for Soledar Isn’t Over Despite Russian Gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Isabel Coles | Evan Gershkovich | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LVIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said fighting is continuing in the eastern town of Soledar after Russian forces made major inroads there, claiming their first significant success in Ukraine for months. Russian forces spearheaded by the Wagner Group paramilitary organization have advanced into Soledar in recent days, shifting their firepower there after months of failed attempts to seize the nearby city of Bakhmut.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, center, with soldiers in what they said was a salt mine in Soledar, Ukraine in this image released on Jan. 11. By contrast, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov neither confirmed that Soledar had fallen to Russian forces or mentioned the Wagner group’s involvement in attempts to take it. Russia has consistently denied the involvement of the Wagner Group in its official military operations. Prigozhin during the funeral of Wagner group fighter near St. Petersburg, on Christmas Eve. To date, the hawks have been far louder than the pragmatists, and a chorus of hard-right bloggers have excoriated Russia’s military performance, while television pundits have called for a tougher approach.

☆ Russia Claims Success in Ukraine’s Soledar as Moscow Names New War Commander
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Yaroslav Trofimov | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russia claimed its first significant success in Ukraine since July, seizing most of the eastern town of Soledar after weeks of heavy fighting led by the Wagner Group paramilitary organization, as the country’s top military officer took direct command of the campaign. Gen. Valery Gerasimov’s appointment as commander of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine sidelines Gen. Sergei Surovikin , who was named to lead Russian forces there three months ago.

☆ Satellite Images Show Destruction Near Ukraine’s Soledar as Russia Claims Advances
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Make Their MoneyFrom deals with Netflix and Spotify to book advances and startup roles, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had to diversify their income streams since leaving the U.K. royal family in 2020. WSJ looks at how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex make their money and what some of it is being spent on. Photo: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Battle for Soledar not over yet, Zelenskyy says; Putin's military reshuffle reflects power struggle
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Ukrainian soldier in his position as a tankman as the Russia-Ukraine war continues on the Bakhmut front line in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Jan. 8, 2023. Ukraine is continuing to reject Russian claims that its forces have captured the Donetsk town of Soledar. Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the eastern military command, told Ukrainian television Wednesday that "Soledar is not under the control of the Russian Federation. Cherevatyi claimed Russians had "carried out a special information operation" to promote the claim that Russian forces had already captured Soledar but said "this is not true." Capturing Soledar would be a coup for Russia as it seeks to advance further and capture nearby Bakhmut.

☆ The latest news on Russia's war on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Emergency personnel work at the site where an apartment block was heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine January 15, 2023. Russia's defence ministry said its forces had launched a wave of missile strikes against Ukrainian military and infrastructure sites on Saturday. * Russian President Vladimir Putin said the special military operation - Russia's term for the war - was showing a positive trend and that he hoped Russian soldiers would deliver further gains after Soledar. MOLDOVA* Moldovan President Maia Sandu, denouncing "Russia's brutal war", said on Saturday that missile debris was found in her country near Ukraine's western border after the latest wave of Russian attacks. * Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused Kishida of shameful subservience to the United States, suggesting on Saturday that he should ritually disembowel himself.

☆ Ukrainian troops hold out in Soledar as Russia builds up forces - Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Russia is building up its forces in Ukraine but Ukrainian forces are holding out in fierce fighting for the eastern town of Soledar, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said on Thursday. She told a news briefing that the number of Russian military units in Ukraine had risen to 280 from 250 a week earlier as Moscow tried to gain the "strategic initiative". "Fighting is fierce in the Soledar direction," Malyar said. "Russia is driving its own people to the slaughter by the thousands, but we are holding on," she said. Russian forces were trying to cut through Ukrainian lines and surround Ukrainian troops, he said.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Battle for salt town rages on
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine says its troops are holding out despite heavy fighting on a battlefield littered with bodies in a salt mining town in eastern Ukraine, where Russian mercenaries have claimed Moscow's first significant gain in half a year. * Ukraine has acknowledged Russian advances but Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar told a briefing on Thursday that fighting was still fierce. MILITARY* Kremlin-watchers are poring over Russia's latest switch of battlefield leadership after Valery Gerasimov, chief of the military's general staff, was unexpectedly given direct command of the invasion. * The commander of Russian ground forces visited Belarus to inspect the combat readiness of a joint force stationed there. Increased joint military activity has prompted Ukraine to warn that Russia may try to launch a new ground invasion of Ukraine from Belarus.

☆ A man who beat his own mother to death got a hero's burial in Russia after he signed up to fight in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Wagner Group fighter was buried with military honors in Russia last week, The Insider reported. He joined the infamous group while serving a murder sentence in a Russian penal colony. Sergei Molodtsov, 46, was buried with military honors in Serov, Russia, last Thursday after he was killed fighting in Ukraine, reported The Insider, a Latvia-based online publication that is not affiliated with Insider. He drunkenly beat his elderly mother to death, breaking her jaw, shoulder, face, and head, according to a 2017 conviction verdict, E1 reported. Footage released earlier this month reported to show Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin freeing the first batch of two dozen former convicts sent to fight in Ukraine.

☆ Russian-installed official says Ukrainian 'resistance' persists in Soledar
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 12 (Reuters) - A Russian-installed official in Ukraine's Donetsk region said on Thursday that "pockets of resistance" remained in the Ukrainian town of Soledar, undermining claims that the town had been taken by Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has ridiculed those claims, and independent analysts say fighting is likely ongoing in the town. "At the moment, there are still some small pockets of resistance in Soledar," Andrei Bayevsky, a military figure and Russian-installed local politician, said in an online broadcast. A map displayed in the briefing showed Soledar straddling areas marked under Russian control, but singled out no recent fighting or significant hits on Ukrainian forces in the area. "Russian forces have not yet fully captured Soledar despite recent Russian advances," analysts at the Institute for the Study of War wrote.

☆ Zelenskiy: Ukraine forces are holding Soledar positions, inflicting big losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces in the eastern city of Soledar are holding their positions and inflicting significant losses on Russia troops, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address on Thursday. A Russian-installed official in Ukraine's Donetsk region earlier said "pockets of resistance" remained in Soledar, undermining claims that the town had been captured. Zelenskiy thanked two Ukrainian units in Soledar which he said "are holding their positions and inflicting significant losses on the enemy." "We also discussed the situation regarding the supply of weapons and ammunition to the troops and the relevant cooperation with our partners," he continued. Reporting by David Ljunggren and Ron Popeski; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Satellite images showing thousands of craters at a battle site in eastern Ukraine capture just how intense the 'savage' artillery fight there actually is
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New satellite imagery illustrates the Russian campaign to capture the eastern Ukrainian towns of Bakhmut and Soledar. Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies"You're talking about thousands upon thousands of artillery rounds that have been delivered between both sides," the official said. Satellite imagery showing the ongoing fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces over the eastern Ukrainian towns of Soledar and Bakhmut. Satellite imagery showing the ongoing fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces over the eastern Ukrainian towns of Soledar and Bakhmut. Satellite image ©2023 Maxar TechnologiesThe above image shows rows of crushed apartments in Soledar.

☆ Notorious Russian arms dealer freed in Brittney Griner exchange awkwardly backs out of pledge to fight in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Freed arms dealer Viktor Bout appeared to reverse his position on whether he'd fight in Ukraine. After being freed in exchange for Brittney Griner last December, Bout said he'd "readily volunteer." It was a strong about-face from comments Bout made to Russian state TV only a month ago. Bout was freed from US jail on December 9, in exchange for WNBA star Brittney Griner, in a high-profile prisoner swap engineered by the Biden administration. Bout attracted the nickname of "The Merchant of Death" over his prominent arms dealing operation in the 1990s, as Insider previously reported.

☆ Putin replaces commander of Russia’s war in Ukraine after just 3 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Henry Austin | Henry Austin Is A London-Based Editor For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced the commander leading his forces in Ukraine just three months after he handed him the job. He previously led Russian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing a brutal bombardment that destroyed much of the city of Aleppo. Britain’s defense ministry called Gerasimov’s appointment “a significant development” in Putin’s approach to the war. Although it has little intrinsic value, it lies at a strategic point around 6 miles north of the city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces are aiming to surround. Taking Bakhmut would disrupt Ukrainian supply lines and open a route for Russian forces to press toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, key Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk province.

☆ Russia Claims Success in Ukraine’s Soledar, Its First Advance in Months
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Yaroslav Trofimov | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russia claimed Wednesday its first significant success in Ukraine since July, seizing most of the eastern town of Soledar after weeks of heavy fighting led by the Wagner private military company. Wagner’s owner, Yevgeny Prigozhin , posted a photo of himself in what appeared to be Soledar, saying that, while the entire territory of the town is under his fighters’ control, street battles with the encircled remainder of Ukrainian forces are continuing in the downtown area.

☆ Zelenskiy mocks Russia's claims over Soledar, says fighting continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 11 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday mocked Russian claims to have taken over parts of the eastern city of Soledar, saying that fighting was still going on. Russian mercenary group Wagner on Tuesday claimed it had taken full control of Soledar but that fighting continued in the city centre. Soledar is a salt-mining town near the city of Bakhmut, which has been the focus of a Russian assault aimed at capturing the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. "The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend that part of our town of Soledar ... is some sort of a Russian possession," Zelenskiy said in a video address. Reporting by David Ljunggren and Ron Popeski Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Conflicting reports on whether strategic town has been captured by Russians; Kyiv says its forces are holding out
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The best fighters from Russia's paramilitary group, known as the Wagner Group, have been deployed to fight in Soledar in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have made tactical gains in recent days. Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine's eastern forces, told local TV channel 24 that Russian forces were deploying their best Wagner fighters at Soledar, which had been struck 86 times by artillery over the past 24 hours. The Wagner Group is a private military company whose forces are fighting alongside Russia's standard military units. Wagner fighters have been privately recruited and the group is estimated to be around 50,000-men strong. Some Wagner fighters have reportedly already received pardons having fulfilled their military contracts.

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