Ukrainian military spokesperson Serhii Cherevatyi reported that the salt-mining town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk Oblast, the site of the fiercest fighting, came under Russian attacks 91 times over the past day.
Russian forces have claimed that they control Soledar, but Ukraine denies it, saying that the fighting continues.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Russia continues its offensive in the Soledar area, trying to break through the Ukrainian defenses and capture the city.
"Attempts to encircle Bakhmut also continue," she said, adding that the Ukrainian troops "bravely hold their position" and inflict "significant losses" on Moscow forces.
Earlier in the day, President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged that the units defending Bakhmut and Soledar would be provided with ammunition and everything necessary "promptly and uninterruptedly."
Also, on Jan. 12, Ukraine's Special Operations Forces reported that over a hundred Russian soldiers had been killed in the battle of Soledar after Ukrainian forces launched a missile strike.
On the previous day, Zelensky said Soledar is "almost completely destroyed," but the fighting continues, and the eastern front line is "holding." The comment came after Russia claimed to take control over the city and later denied it.
Soledar is located just above Bakhmut, also under siege as Russia looks to capture the area as part of its larger goal of taking control of the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, which it has partly occupied since 2014.
(Updated: )
