Russian forces have taken Soledar, according to ministry of defense
From CNN's Seb Shukla and Katharina Krebs
Russian forces have taken the town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, according to Russia's defense ministry – their first significant victory in months.
Russia took control of Soledar on Thursday evening, the ministry said in a briefing on Friday.
In recent days there have been competing claims over who has control of the town amid fierce fighting.
Russia said the capture of Soledar was "important for the continuation of successful offensive operations in the Donetsk region." It added that "establishing control over Soledar makes it possible to cut off the supply routes for Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut."
The significance of Soledar in military terms is minimal. However, its capture would allow Russian forces, and especially the Wagner mercenary group, to turn their focus on nearby Bakhmut, which has been a target since the summer.
According to the Russian ministry, the capture of Soledar "became possible due to the constant destruction of the enemy by assault and army aviation, missile troops and artillery of a group of Russian forces."
The ministry made no reference to claims from private military company Wagner that its forces had taken the city by themselves.
"Over the past three days alone, more than seven hundred Ukrainian servicemen and over three hundred units of weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been destroyed near the city of Soledar," it said.
Some context: On Thursday, the Wagner group disparaged claims from the Russian ministry of defense that its forces were involved in the Soledar offensive.
For their part, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly contested claims that Soledar has been taken. On Friday morning, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that fighting overnight had been "hot."
Ukrainian troops were "bravely trying to hold the line" despite Russian claims that it had gained control of the region, she added.
Belarusian artillery units that are part of a joint military grouping with Russia are being put on alert as part of combat coordination activities in Belarus, according to the country's ministry of defense."Today, within the framework of joint activities of combat coordination of the regional grouping of troops of Belarus and Russia, the artillery units of the 11th separate mechanized brigade are being prepared to carry out tasks as intended," reads a statement from the ministry.
In October last year, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko announced the establishment of a joint grouping of troops with Russia due to "the aggravation of the situation on the borders of Belarus."
And the joint grouping continues to grow in size, the defense ministry said this week.
"As part of ensuring the military security of the Union State, the build-up of the regional grouping of troops (forces) of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation continues," said the ministry in a statement.