The enemy transferred additional forces and equipment to attack Soledar.

Hanna Maliar, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, reported about this.

She pointed out that after the retreat and unsuccessful assault on the city, the Russian troops replenished losses, redeployed additional assault units, changed tactics.

“Currently, the enemy has engaged a large number of assault groups formed out of the best reserves of the Wagner PMC. Russians literally step on corpses of their fellow soldiers, use artillery, multiple launch rocket systems and mortars, opening fire against their own soldiers,” Maliar wrote.

She added that fierce battles are going on in the city right now.

Serhii Cherevaty, Spokesman for the Operational Command East of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that Soledar was “de facto destroyed”, but there are still people there.

He announced this during a telethon on January 9, according to Radio Svoboda.

“Yes, some people stayed, although the regional military administration, all social services urged people to leave the war zone <..>, [they even] organized convoys for this purpose. But there is a part of people, especially the older generation, who have a great fear of change, leaving home, moving to another unfamiliar area, work is being done with them, but not always everyone agrees,” he said.

He noted that the invaders had transferred professional Russian mercenaries from Wagner PMC to this direction.

“They have substantial training in units such as the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, special forces of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. If previously for such raids and mass attacks they mostly used ex-convicts, near Soledar they gathered the most professional part, which they use to break through our defenses,” Cherevaty added.

As previously reported, the commander of the Ground Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi has visited the positions of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in Soledar and Bakhmut.

During his visit, additional decisions were made about the defense of the settlement including transferring additional units and increasing the degree of fire damage to the enemy.