Sharjah24 - Reuters : After a "hot" night of combat in what has been one of the bloodiest battlegrounds of the entire conflict, Ukraine declared on Friday that its soldiers were still holding out in the eastern salt mine town of Soledar.
Both sides have endured heavy losses in the battle for the small town. Moscow is seeking what would be its first big battlefield gain after half a year of humiliating retreats. Kyiv says Russia is throwing wave upon wave of soldiers into a pointless fight for a bombed-out wasteland.
The Wagner ultra-nationalist mercenary company run by an ally of President Vladimir Putin has claimed to have taken the town. But Russia's defence ministry has so far said little about the situation there, while a Russian-installed local official said on Thursday there were still pockets of resistance.
"The night in Soledar was hot, battles continued," Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
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