New Russian bombings, Kyiv claims control of Soledar

AFP, Posted on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 1:26 pm.

Russia fired rockets at key infrastructure facilities in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine on Saturday, according to Ukrainian officials, who claim they are still in control of the eastern city of Soledar, which Moscow claims it captured after fierce fighting.

“Today, the enemy opened fire on energy installations again,” said the operator “Ukrenergo” and said that it was working to “remove the consequences” of these strikes.

AFP journalists heard several explosions in Kyiv in the early hours of the morning, and Ukrainian officials said the strikes targeted key infrastructure in the capital.

Kirill Tymoshenko, adviser to the president of Ukraine, said on Telegram that a “missile attack on critical infrastructure” is being carried out in Kyiv, while the mayor of the city, Vitaly Klitschko, reported on the explosions in the Dnipro district and called on residents to “stay in shelters”.

The municipality also reported that a facility was set on fire “without major damage or fire.” According to him, the fire started after rocket fragments fell in a warehouse in Golosiivsky district. According to Mr. Klitschko was not injured.

In the Kharkiv region (north-east), “the enemy launched a new missile attack on the main infrastructure facilities”, Governor Oleg Synegibov said. This city may experience the second emergency blackout in Ukraine, he added.

Attacks were also recorded further south, in the Zaporozhye region.

– “The battle continues” in Soledar –

“The enemy is attacking the territory of Ukraine again,” said Igor Taburets, head of the Cherkassy region (center), adding that large-scale warnings were expected in the middle of the day.

Since October and a series of setbacks in Ukraine, Moscow has been methodically bombing the country’s vital infrastructure, forcing power companies to restore the grid as quickly as possible as the winter hardens.

On the frontline, in eastern Ukraine, the small town of Soledar, at the center of fierce fighting that Moscow claims it has captured, is still “under Ukrainian control,” the governor of Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, assured on Saturday.

“Soledar is under the control of the Ukrainian authorities, our forces control it,” he said, adding that “fighting continues in the city and outside.”

He said on television that the neighborhood and the nearby town of Bakhmout remain the “hottest” points of the conflict.

Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated on Friday that the “liberation” of this city took place “in the evening of January 12”.

The Russian army praised the “courageous actions” of the fighters of the “Wagner” mercenary group, whose men led a “direct attack on the settlements of Soledar.”

– “Heavier equipment” –

“This is a difficult phase of the war,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar said Friday, acknowledging a “high-intensity (Russian) attack.”

Fighting in and around Soledar has been going on for several months, but the intensity has increased sharply in recent days.

Its capture by Moscow’s forces would be a significant victory for Russia after its troops’ setbacks on the ground in recent months.

To deal with Russia’s military, Kyiv again called on its Western allies on Friday to provide it with more weapons and high-performance military equipment such as heavy tanks and long-range missiles.

“To win this war, we need more military equipment, heavy equipment,” Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak called on Telegram.

The UN Security Council reconvened on Friday to discuss the situation in Ukraine, almost eleven months after the Russian invasion began.

“Ukraine, Russia, the world cannot allow this war to continue,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, regretting that she “sees no signs of an end to the fighting.”