Ukraine’s salt-mine town captured, claims Russia

Kyiv, January 11

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Russian and Ukrainian forces were engaged in intense fighting on Wednesday over the town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine — a stepping stone in Moscow’s push to capture the entire Donbas region — with the Russians appearing to have the upper hand.

The mercenary group Wagner, which has spearheaded the assault, on Tuesday claimed to have taken control of the small salt-mining town although pockets of Ukrainian resistance were holding out in the centre.

Russia’s defence ministry said that airborne units had cut off Soledar from the north and south. — Reuters

40 pows exchanged

• Russia and Ukraine have agreed on an exchange of 40 prisoners of war each on the sidelines of an international ombudsman conference in Ankara
• Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova met her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets in Turkey