Ukraines military conceded to AFP Wednesday that its troops had taken out of the town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region, which Russian forces said they captured previously this month.

After months of heavy fighting, including over the previous weeks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine left (Soledar) and retreated along the borders to pre-prepared positions, said military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevaty.Cherevaty did not reveal to AFP when Ukrainian soldiers had actually withdrawn from Soledar but he stated the maneuver had actually been carefully planned.The Russian mercenary group Wagner, which declared to have spearheaded the offensive for Soledar, stated it had actually caught the town on Jan.

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The Russian Defense Ministry only said 2 days later on that Moscows forces were controlling the salt-mining town with a pre-war population of around 10,000.

Moscow said at the time that taking control of Soledar was an essential step to recording the neighboring bigger town of Bakhmut, where battling has actually raved longer than any other location in Ukraine considering that the Kremlin launched its invasion.Cherevaty informed AFP: While some (soldiers) were holding the borders of Soledar, others were building a protective line, strengthening brand-new points, while at the very same time providing a massive blow to the opponent.

There had been no mass capture or encirclement of Ukrainian forces, he added.The complete capture of the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, which has actually been partially controlled by Moscow-backed separatists for several years, is Moscows primary military objective in Ukraine.