Wagner Group mercenaries released a photo on Wednesday that they said showed they had succeeded in capturing the town of Soledar near the strategic town of Bakhmut, the only notable Russian military victory in the past 6 months, if confirmed.

“Vagnerivtsi” sent one of the Russian state news agencies “RIA Novosti” a photo showing their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in the salt mines near Soledar.

Prigozhin claims that the entire surface of the city has been captured and that Ukrainian forces in the center of the city are surrounded by ongoing intense urban guerrilla fighting, a claim that military analyst Michael Horowitz notes is self-contradictory.

Mercenary commander Wagner again stated that “no other unit, apart from Wagner’s fighters, took part in the battle for Soledar”, Horowitz noted that the city itself had military value, but a victory here would be important for Prigozhin’s prestige in Moscow power circles. .

“This may explain why the Wagnerites were sent en masse against the Ukrainian defense lines in Soledar. Not to mention that most of them are expendable convicts, of which there is no shortage in Russia,” the military analyst notes on his Twitter page.

Although Wagner’s mercenaries later posted more photos on social media that they claimed were taken in the tunnels of a salt mine near Soledar, Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov on Wednesday urged caution about claims of capturing a city in Donetsk region.

Conflicting information about Soledar’s capture by the Russians

“We don’t need to rush. Let’s wait for official statements,” Peskov said during a daily press conference, adding, however, that there was “momentum” in the advance of Russian troops and praising the “fantastic heroism” of Russian soldiers.

“Military success will be achieved when the goals set by the Supreme Commander are achieved. Although, of course, tactical successes are also very important,” Peskov added, admitting that “they have a rather high price.”

In its assessment on Tuesday, the British Ministry of Defense said that Russian forces are now likely to control most of the town of Soledar, but that nearby Bakhmut will not be captured anytime soon.

“Part of the fighting was focused on the entrances to the 200-kilometer long tunnels of the disused salt mine that runs beneath the area. Both sides are probably concerned that they could be used to infiltrate the rear,” he explained.

If it is confirmed that Wagner’s mercenaries succeeded in capturing the city, it would be the first notable victory of the Russian army in more than 6 months of war, since the occupation of the cities of Severodonetsk and Lischansk in late June and early July. , respectively the last one.

However, the Ukrainian army on Wednesday denied that Russian troops surrounded and captured Soledar after Prigozhin’s statements on the matter.

“The Russians say that it is under their control, this is not true,” said Serhii Tserevatiy, the spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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