AFP: Ukraine acknowledges withdrawing forces from Soledar
An officer in the Ukrainian army acknowledges to the AFP news agency that Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the town of Soledar.
Soledar is a small town on the outskirts of Bakhmut, and Russia has for several weeks claimed to have taken control of the town.
– After months of intense fighting, also in recent weeks, the Ukrainian army has now left (Soledar, ed.) and retreated to the outskirts of the city to prepared positions, says spokesman for the Ukrainian defense Sergej Cherevaty.
The capture of Soledar is one of the most important Russian advances in the war since last summer. It is admittedly only a small area in the Donetsk region.
Last week, an emergency aid convoy from the UN arrived in the area around Soledar.
