Kyiv is reportedly rushing reinforcements to the eastern Donetsk region amid unconfirmed reports of Russian gains in and around the flashpoint towns of Bakhmut and Soledar.
“Our troops in Soledar have been allocated additional forces,” Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military’s Eastern Command, said on Jan. 9.
“Everything is being done to improve the operational situation there,” he added.
Known for its expansive salt mines, Soledar is located roughly 12 miles to the northeast of Bakhmut, which has remained the scene of fierce ground fighting for the past several months.
A Ukrainian serviceman walks in a destroyed grain silo after a morning strike near the town of Soledar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on June 8, 2022. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters)
Both towns are located in the eastern Donetsk province. Donetsk and the neighboring Luhansk province together comprise the Russian-speaking Donbas region….