Russian forces are reportedly advancing on the flashpoint town of Bakhmut having claimed victory in the nearby town of Soledar—assertions denied by officials in Kyiv.
“We have made clear progress,” Igor Kimakovsky, a spokesman for the Moscow-backed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), claimed on Jan. 12.
“Soledar is practically ours,” Kimakovsky was quoted as saying by Russia’s TASS news agency.
He went on to claim that Russian forces had also made gains in the vicinity of Bakhmut and the nearby town of Avdiivka.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) speaks to General Staff chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov (R) as Defense Minister Sergei Shogu sits (L) on Sept. 6, 2022. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik via AP)
Russian forces deployed in the area include DPR militiamen and the Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization directed by the Kremlin….