MOSCOW, Jan 11 Head of the Wagner Group Evgeny Prigozhin announced the complete liberation of Soledar in the DPR, the acting head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, against the backdrop of military successes, announced a turning point in the liberation of the entire territory of the republic. At the same time, Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, has been appointed commander of the Russian joint group of forces within the framework of a special military operation in Ukraine.
New Appointments in the RF Ministry of DefenseChief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov has been appointed commander of the Russian united group of troops within the framework of a special military operation in Ukraine, the RF Ministry of Defense reported on Wednesday.
Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin has been appointed Deputy Commander of the Russian Joint Group of Forces as part of a special military operation. Also, Gerasimov's deputies were Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, General of the Army Oleg Salyukov, as well as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, Colonel General Alexei Kim.
The department said that the level of command in the framework of the special military operation in Ukraine has been increased, among other things, due to the expansion of the scale of tasks to be solved and the need for closer interaction between the types and types of troops.
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The Capture of SoledarOn the night of January 11, the head of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that the group's units took control of the entire territory of Soledar, in the center of the city formed cauldron in which battles are fought. After a short time, also at night, photos from the liberated salt mines in Soledar in the DPR appeared at the disposal.
At night, Aleksey Arestovich, adviser to the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office, said that there were units of Ukrainian troops near Soledar who fled from the front line.
In the morning, Acting Head of the DPR Denis Pushilin, against the backdrop of recent military successes, announced a turning point in the liberation of the entire territory of the republic. After some time, the DPR territorial defense headquarters announced the liberation of the settlement of Podgorodnoye in the Soledar region.
Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday afternoon that it would be possible to talk about the successes of military operations in Ukraine after the fulfillment of the goals of the special operation set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, but tactical successes are also very important.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, in turn, reported that units of the Russian Airborne Forces blocked Soledar from the northern and southern parts, assault detachments are fighting in the city itself.
At the same time, the Wall Street Journal, citing one of the commanders of Ukrainian troops in the city, reported that Ukrainian troops admit that they are suffering heavy losses in the Artemivsk area. «So far, the exchange rate of our lives for their lives in favor of the Russians. If this continues, we may end,» the commander quoted the publication as saying.
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On Wednesday evening, Prigozhin confirmed the complete release of Soledar.
Progress of the operation The RF Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that the fighter aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces had destroyed a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter in the DPR. In addition, they reported that Russian aircraft and artillery hit the command and observation post of the Ukrainian battalion in Artemovsk.
The Russian Armed Forces destroyed up to 25 Ukrainian soldiers and 3 units of equipment in the area of Prechistovka, Nikolsky and Novoselka in the DPR in the South Donetsk direction per day, the department also said.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said that next week he will go to Ukraine, after which he expects to visit Russia. He also stated that the conclusion of an agreement on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is not impossible, since a nuclear incident would not be in the interests of either Russia or Ukraine.
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Meeting of two ombudsmenRussian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova said that she had met with Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets to discuss issues of providing humanitarian assistance to citizens of the two countries. A trilateral meeting of the Ombudsmen of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine was held in Ankara.
According to Moskalkova, she asked the speaker of the Turkish parliament to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine. In addition, Moskalkova and Lubinets discussed the intensification of the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which can visit prisoners.
In addition, she said that she asked Lubinets to help Ukrainian citizens who want to visit relatives in Russia. She also stated that a number of missing people, data about whom were exchanged by the ombudsmen of Russia and Ukraine, are alive.
The Russian ombudsman also said that Turkey promised to help intensify negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian ombudsmen, and that she discussed with Lubinets the possibility of exchanging civilians who are being persecuted for their pro-Russian position.
International SituationThe Pentagon's decision to train the Ukrainian military in the use of the Patriot air defense system confirms the US involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov told reporters. He also said that Russia's efforts to convey to audiences in the United States the danger of Washington's actions in the conflict in Ukraine find understanding in the local community.
Turkey has been supplying American-style cluster munitions to Ukraine since November 2022, Foreign Policy reports, citing representatives of the US and the EU. It is difficult to speak about the reliability of reports that Turkey has begun supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine, the Kremlin is monitoring the situation, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, recalling that Russia and Turkey are partners.
Reports of deliveries of American-style cluster munitions from Turkey to Ukraine are disinformation aimed at undermining Ankara's peace efforts, a source in the Turkish presidential administration said.
Kyiv will not be able to go on the offensive and recapture large areas under the control of Russian forces without increasing combat power, including tanks and other heavy equipment, writes the British newspaper Independent, citing Western officials.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the importance of strengthening the military assistance of the alliance to Ukraine against the backdrop of the events near Artemivsk and Soledar. In addition, Stoltenberg welcomed the statements of the United States, France and Germany on deliveries of light tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine in the near future.
Poland will transfer a company of Leopard tanks to Ukraine as part of an international coalition, President of Poland Andrzej Duda said at a press conference in Lvov.
The British government has confirmed that the UK plans to provide tanks to Ukraine, reports the Financial Times, citing British Prime Minister's Office spokesman Rishi Sunak.
Ukraine has tried to contact Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to arrange a telephone conversation between him and Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the Philippines' role in the situation in Ukraine, but has received no response since June, Chargé d'Affaires of the Ukrainian Embassy in the Philippines Denis Mikhailyuk said.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara supports the opening of a humanitarian corridor for the wounded in connection with the situation in Ukraine, and is ready to take care of their treatment.