Volodymyr Zelensky says that Ukrainian troops were holding out against pro-Russia forces in Soledar

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, declared on Thursday, January 12, that Ukrainian troops were resisting pro-Russian rebels in the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar, where salt is mined. There are about 500 persons trapped, including children.

Zelensky commended two Soledar troops who, in his words, ‘are holding their positions and inflicting considerable damage on the enemy’ in a video message.

He made no further explanations.

He said that he and senior Ukrainian military commanders had assessed the need for reinforcements in Soledar and the surrounding towns.

An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ultra-nationalist contract militia Wagner Group claimed to have captured Soledar after fierce battle that it claimed left the town littered with Ukrainian bodies.

Moscow however, has held off officially proclaiming a victory, which would be its first significant gain in six months.

‘At the moment, there are still some small pockets of resistance in Soledar,’ Andrei Bayevsky, a Russian-installed local politician, said in an online broadcast.