Ukraine denies Russian claims of control in Soledar

• The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, had said earlier this week that any capture of Soledar by Russian forces "is not an operationally significant development and is unlikely to presage an imminent Russian encirclement of Bakhmut."
• It could however give "Moscow’s forces new locations to place artillery" as it continues its push in the east, the New York Times notes.

What they're saying: "On the evening of January 12, the liberation of the city of Soledar was completed, which is important for the continuation of successful offensive operations" in the Donbass region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.

• But Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesperson for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told Ukrainian news outlet RBC-Ukraine that Moscow's claim of capturing Soledar is “not true,” saying that “fighting is going on in the city.”

The big picture: Over the last week, there have been competing claims over who controls Soledar, which has been the site of heavy fighting for months.

• The Wagner Group, a private Russian mercenary group fighting for Russia, had claimed victory in Soledar earlier this week — a claim dismissed by Kyiv.
• Soledar is located in Ukraine’s Donetsk province — one of four regions Russia annexed earlier this year in a move widely condemned as illegal.