The Kremlin on Wednesday urged “no rush” to declare victory in Soledar, while Wagner’s mercenary group said it had taken control of the eastern Ukrainian town after months of intense fighting.

“We don’t need to rush. Let’s wait for official statements,” Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov told reporters, at the same time declaring the “momentum in the advance” of Russian troops and praising the “fantastic heroism” of the 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.

“They are at a high price, the price of the fantastic heroism of our soldiers. Therefore, this is an additional reason to be proud of our boys, who, without sparing either their lives or their health, give us these tactical successes,” the Kremlin spokesman praised.

He once again emphasized that Russia is “ready” to resolve the conflict through negotiations with Kyiv.

“Achieving our goals through peaceful diplomatic means is the best option,” Peskov said.

But while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has said he is refusing any talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and while Russian troops are in Ukraine, “we can’t say there are any prospects” for peace talks right now, he said.

Ukraine denies that Russia captured Soledar

Ukraine’s military has denied that Russian forces have surrounded and captured the eastern town of Soledar, after Yevhen Prigozhin, head of Wagner’s mercenary group, said the town had been captured.

“The Russians say that it is under their control, it is not true,” said Serhiy Tserevaty, the spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, The Guardian reports.

Russia’s capture of Soledar and its vast salt mines would have symbolic, military and commercial significance for Russia. But the situation in and around Soledar is unclear, and none of the claims can be independently verified.

Progozhin published a photo of himself with a group of mercenaries from the group Wagner and a tank, which he said was taken in one of the tunnels of a salt mine in the southwest of the city.

Prohogin also insisted that only members of his paramilitary company took part in the battle for the city – many of them prisoners who were offered amnesty if they fought in Ukraine.

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