Kyiv: Ukrainian troops have been forced to repel waves of attacks from the Wagner contract militia around the salt mining town of Soledar and nearby fronts as a result of Russia's stepped-up and powerful assault on the area, according to officials in Kyiv.

A few miles away from Bakhmut, in the industrial Donbas region, is Soledar, where troops from both sides have been suffering significant casualties in some of the most intense trench fighting since Russia invaded Ukraine almost 11 months ago.

According to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar, the Wagner Group quickly returned after a previous attempt to take the town was repelled by Ukrainian forces. They used new tactics and more soldiers while being covered by heavy artillery.

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Using mortars, MLRS systems, and massed artillery, the enemy "literally steps over the corpses of their own soldiers," Malyar claimed.

A day after receiving criticism for an ostensibly false claim of a missile strike on a temporary Ukrainian barracks, the Russian defence ministry failed to mention Soledar or Bakhmut in a routine media briefing on Monday.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, founded Wagner. It is active in conflicts in Africa and has played a significant part in Russia's war effort in Ukraine. It recruits some of its members from Russian prisons and is known for its unrelenting violence.

For months, Prigozhin has been attempting to capture Bakhmut and Soledar at great human cost. He claimed on Saturday that it was significant due to a system of vast underground mining tunnels that can accommodate large crowds of people as well as tanks and other military vehicles.
The fighting in Bahkmut and Soledar is "the most intense on the entire frontline," according to Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov, with little progress being made by either side due to the subzero temperatures.
He claimed on YouTube that "so many (pro-Russian fighters) remain on the battlefield, either dead or wounded."

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Wave after wave of them attacks our positions, but the wounded typically perish where they are lying, either from exposure due to the extreme cold or from blood loss. Nobody is showing up to assist them or remove the bodies from the battlefield.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, said in remarks broadcast on nightly video on Monday that Bakhmut and Soledar were clinging to life despite extensive destruction.
He mentioned more recent and vicious attacks in Soledar, where no walls were left standing and the ground was covered in Russian corpses, according to him.
According to Zelensky, "We have won for Ukraine additional time and additional strength thanks to the tenacity of our soldiers in Soledar." What he meant by "gaining time" or "gaining strength" was not made clear.

However, Ukrainian officials, led by the top commander General Valery Zaluzhniy, have issued a warning that Russia is assembling new forces for a fresh, significant offensive against Ukraine, which may target the capital Kyiv.
Zelensky also seems to be counting on getting more advanced weapons from Ukraine's Western allies in order to repel attacks and ultimately drive out Russian troops.
He continued his diplomatic work on Monday by speaking with Petr Fiala, the prime minister of the Czech Republic, which is currently in charge of the 27-member European Union.
"I have no doubt that these weapons and supplies will reach our soldiers at the front. Soon," he assured.

Last week, the United States, France, and Germany all agreed to send armoured fighting vehicles in response to a persistent request from Ukraine. According to a Western source cited by Sky News, Britain is considering providing Ukraine with tanks for the first time. The British Defense Ministry remained silent.
According to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Iran may be aiding war crimes in Ukraine by giving Russia drones.

Russian drones are produced or transferred by Iranian companies, according to the United States, which has sanctioned those companies and individuals. The White House announced last week that it is looking into ways to use sanctions and export controls to target Iran's production of the unmanned weaponized aircraft.

According to military analysts, seizing Bakhmut and Soledar would only have a small strategic military benefit for Russia.

Taking Soledar would be simpler than taking Bakhmut, but it would make little sense other than as a personal victory for Prigozhin, according to Ukrainian journalist, political commentator, and army officer Taras Berezovets.

Berezovets claimed on YouTube that "it's his personal war."
According to a US official, Prigozhin is interested in the salt and gypsum from the mines, which are thought to extend more than 100 miles underground and have caverns the size of auditoriums.

Attacks occur in waves of small groups of no more than 15, according to Ukrainian troops fighting in Bakhmut and Soledar, Berezovets reported. The first wave is typically completely destroyed. Pro-Russian forces withdraw and leave behind white ribbons for the following

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It is difficult to tell who is on your side and who is the enemy when fighting in cities like Bakhmut and Soledar, he said.
Olha, 60, said she fled Soledar after moving from apartment to apartment as each was destroyed in tank battles in an evacuation centre in nearby Kramatorsk.
"Not a single intact house remains. "Apartments were bursting into flames and being torn in half," remarked Olha, using only her first name.