Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin continues to use reports of the “successes” of the Wagnerites in Soledar, Donetsk region, to strengthen the reputation of the Wagner group as an effective fighting force. This is stated in the ISW report..

Wagner group forces have claimed territory within Soledar over the past few days, and many Russian sources have discussed this as evidence that the Wagnerites may soon encircle Bakhmut..

Recordings of the fighting widely shared on social media on January 9 show Wagner Group fighters taking part in a fierce small-arms battle outside the city administration building in the center of Soledar..

Several Russian military bloggers stated on January 8 and 9 that Wagner Group forces are responsible for quarterly advances in Soledar and other important settlements northeast of Bakhmut, as well as within Bakhmut.

On January 9, Prigozhin emphasized that “exclusively” units of the Wagner group were occupying positions in Soledar, and noted that the Wagnerites were fighting “fierce battles for the city administration building”.

ISW analysts believe that Prigozhin will continue to use both "

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Earlier it was reported that the Russian occupation troops launched a powerful assault on Soledar in the Donetsk region.. Soledar is one of the hottest points of the front. On the eve of the Ukrainian military leadership announced that it had decided to strengthen the defense near the cities of Bakhmut and Soledar in the Donetsk region, which includes the movement of additional units to this sector of the front and the increase in the intensity of enemy fire.