UK Defense Ministry: 'Highly unlikely' Russia made significant progress near Orikhiv, Vuhledar

Russian forces may have carried out localized, probing attacks near Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Donetsk Oblast's Vuhledar, but it is "highly unlikely" they made any significant progress there, despite recent claims by Russian bloggers, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Jan. 27.

"There is a realistic possibility that Russian military sources are deliberately spreading misinformation in an effort to imply that the Russian operation is sustaining momentum," reads the report.

Over the past six days, Russian bloggers have been saying that Russian troops have made significant advances, breaking through Ukrainian defenses in these two areas, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.

Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Jan. 25 that fierce battles were taking place in the Bakhmut and Vuhledar directions as Russian troops were increasing pressure.

According to General Staff, Russian forces are trying to capture all of Donetsk Oblast and seize the left bank of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

On Jan. 25, the Ukrainian military acknowledged that it had withdrawn from the salt-mining town of Soledar in Donetsk Oblast, located 10 kilometers north of Bakhmut – a fiercely contested city Russia has tried to capture for months.