Ukraine has stated that its military is still standing up to Russia in the fight for Soledar.

During an online broadcast, Andrei Bayevsky, a local figure appointed by Russia, declared that there are still some minor areas of opposition in Soledar.

“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.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the efforts of two units in Soledar, which were able to cause significant losses to the pro-Russian forces. He also mentioned that he and other senior Ukrainian commanders assessed the need for reinforcements in Soledar and the neighboring towns in Donbas. On the other hand, the Russian-backed ultra-nationalist Wagner Group asserted that they had taken Soledar following a fierce battle that left a lot of Ukrainian casualties. 

Although Moscow has yet to officially announce their victory, which would be its first significant achievement in the last six months, Andrei Bayevsky, a local politician appointed by Russia, declared that there are still some areas in Soledar that are putting up a resistance. Additionally, there are more than 500 civilians, which includes children, who are still stuck in the eastern salt mining town.

Meanwhile, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk, told Ukrainian state TV that there were still 559 citizens, including 15 youngsters, in Soledar, and they could not leave the town, which had an estimated 10,000 inhabitants before the war.

Streets Devoid of Life

Drone shots taken by Reuters of Ukrainian soldiers performing a medical evacuation from Soledar revealed abandoned streets with only a handful of destroyed buildings amid blasted trees and smoldering debris. 

A 24-year-old soldier outside Soledar said, “The situation is difficult but stable. We’re holding back the enemy … we’re fighting back.”