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6 mins ago
Kremlin moderates comments on Soledar operation, saying Russian troops have a "positive trend"
By Anna Chernova and Seb Shukla
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned against premature announcements about the capture of the Ukrainian town of Soledar, but said there is a "positive trend."
“There is a positive trend there,” Peskov said when asked in a conference call to comment on the results of the operation to seize the mining town of Soledar in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
"Success in military operations will be achieved when we meet the goals set by the Supreme Commander [Russian President Vladimir Putin] in the course of the special military operation," he added.
Moscow has continually referred to its invasion of Ukraine as a "special military operation."
Some context: The head of Russian private military contractor Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed Wednesday that the group had seized control of "the entire territory of Soledar."
Russian troops are focused on seizing Soledar, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his late-night speech.
On Tuesday night he thanked the Ukrainian troops for their "courage and firmness in the defense of Soledar."
Ukraine's military insisted on Wednesday that the situation in the city was "under control" and said that "Soledar was, is and always will be Ukrainian."
13 mins ago
Wagner's leader claims the Russians have taken control of "the entire territory of Soledar"
Yevgeny Prigozhin participates in a meeting in Moscow on July 4, 2017. (Sergei Ilnitsky/AP)
The founder and head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, says the group has taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar.”
CNN has been unable to verify those claims, and Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, in their late-night address thanked Ukrainian soldiers "for their courage and steadfastness in defending Soledar."
A Ukrainian soldier told CNN on Tuesday that the situation in and around the city was "critical" and "difficult."
Prigozhin said in a brief comment on his Telegram channel that the center of Soledar is "like a cauldron, where an urban struggle is taking place."
He added that only Wagner's units were fighting for control of the city, not the Russian Armed Forces.
A bit of context: The capture of Soledar, a salt mining town in eastern Ukraine, would have military and commercial value for Russia.
Ukrainian troops have repelled a previous Russian attempt to capture the city, Zelensky's deputy defense minister said on Monday.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned against premature announcements about the capture of the Ukrainian town of Soledar, but said there is a "positive trend."
"There is a positive trend there," Peskov said when asked in a conference call to comment on the results of the takeover operation in the mining town of Soledar in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
"Success in military operations will be achieved when we meet the objectives set by the Supreme Commander [Russian President Vladimir Putin] in the course of the special military operation," he added. Moscow has continually referred to its invasion of Ukraine as a " special military operation.
14 mins ago
In the besieged eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar "no one counts the dead," a soldier tells CNN
By Yulia Keseiva in Kyiv
Russia tries to take the eastern city of Soledar 2:23
A Ukrainian soldier fighting in the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar told CNN the situation is "critical" and the death toll is now so high that "no one counts the dead."
The soldier is from the 46th Air Mobile Brigade, which is leading the Ukrainian fight to hold Soledar in the face of a massive assault by Russian troops and Wagner's mercenaries.
CNN is not identifying him for security reasons.
"The situation is critical. Difficult. We are holding on to the last thing," the soldier said.
The man described a dynamic battlefield where buildings change hands every day and units are unable to keep track of the mounting death toll.
“Nobody will tell you how many dead and wounded there are.
Because no one knows for sure.
Not a single person,” he said.
“Not at headquarters.
Not anywhere.
They constantly take and retake positions.
What was our house today, the next day becomes Wagner's”.
"In Soledar, nobody counts the dead," he added.
The soldier said it was not clear as of Tuesday night how much of the city was in Russian hands.
“No one can definitively say who moved where and who has what, because no one knows for sure.
There's a huge gray area in the city that everyone claims to control, [but] it's just empty hype,” she added.
The Ukrainians have lost many troops in Soledar but the ranks are replenishing as the fighting for the mining town continues, he said: “The personnel of our units has been renewed by almost half, more or less.
We don't even have time to memorize each other's call signs [when new staff arrive].”
The soldier said he believed Ukraine's military leaders would eventually give up the fight for Soledar and asked why they hadn't done so yet.
“Everyone understands that the city will be abandoned.
Everyone understands this, ”he said.
“I just want to understand what is the point [of fighting house to house].
Why die, if we are going to leave it anyway today or tomorrow?
Some context: The 46th Air Mobile Brigade said on its Telegram channel on Tuesday that the situation in Soledar was "very difficult, but manageable."
In his evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the soldiers of the brigade "for their courage and perseverance in defending Soledar."
17 mins ago
"There will be no third world war": Zelensky's message of hope at the Golden Globes
By Scottie Andrew
File photo. Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the United States Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on December 21, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared in a video message during the Golden Globes broadcast to thank his allies in the "free world."
Sean Penn introduced the Ukrainian comedian-turned-politician with nods to the ongoing protests in Iran, during which several citizens have been executed, and the women's rights movement in Afghanistan.
The Oscar winner previously met Zelensky in Kyiv and presented him with one of his Academy Awards, asking the president to return it to him when the war is over.
Zelensky told the Hollywood crowd that "the war in Ukraine is not over yet, but the tide is turning and it is already clear who will win," to applause.
"There are still battles and tears ahead," Zelensky said in a recorded message.
"But now I can tell you who was the best last year: you in the free world, who rallied around the support of the free Ukrainian people."
Zelensky recalled the Golden Globes of the early 1940s, before World War II ended.
There will be no third world war," he said.
"It's not a trilogy."
Zelensky appeared virtually at the Cannes Film Festival and the Grammy Awards to speak about the conflict and thank those in the entertainment industry who have raised awareness about it.
Some honorees at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards also cited him as an example of a courageous leader.