After an unsuccessful attempt to capture Soledar, Russian troops changed tactics and commenced another major assault, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported.
The new assault is expected to be powerful as Russian troops have regrouped and transferred additional units to Soledar.
According to Maliar, Russian troops have also recovered losses by deploying a "large number of assault groups formed from Wagner Group's best reserves."
In a video address on Jan. 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Soledar is one of the "bloodies places on the front."
Serhii Cherevatyi, Ukraine's Eastern Military Command spokesman, reported that the city of Soledar, Donetsk Oblast, which has long been a target of Russia's Bakhmut offensive, is "practically destroyed."