According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Ukraine's military destroyed two Russian control points, two positions of missile forces and artillery, as well as five concentrations of Russian troops over the past 24 hours.

On Jan. 8, the General Staff said that the Ukrainian ground and air forces struck 26 Russian troop and equipment concentrations without specifying the exact locations. These locations are generally where troops are assembled before conducting offensive operations.

Russian forces continue attacking Ukrainian troops' positions and civilian sector alongside the entire front line, the military said.

The town of Soledar near Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk Oblast, currently the hottest point on the front line, came under Russian fire 86 times over the past day, Serhii Cherevatyi, Eastern Military Command spokesman, said on Jan. 10.

Cherevatyi said that even though Russian troops "suffered colossal losses," they still tried to advance to capture the salt-mining town.

On the previous day, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that Russian forces changed tactics and commenced another major "powerful" assault on Soledar, transferring additional units to the city.

On Jan. 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address that Soledar is one of the "bloodiest places on the front."

Soledar is located just 10 kilometers northeast of Bakhmut and is a crucial stronghold for Ukraine's efforts to defend the city. By capturing Soledar and Bakhmut, Russia aims to make further progress its goal of occupying the whole of Donetsk Oblast within its administrative borders.

Russia moves into Soledar, making rare progress amid stalled offensive

The Kyiv Independent