The battle for the eastern Ukrainian salt mining town raged in subzero temperatures on Wednesday, as Russia's mercenary Wagner Group claimed it had taken control, with its fighters training their fire on a pocket of resistance in the town center.
Kyiv said earlier its forces were holding out. The Ukrainian military's morning summary made one mention of Soledar, listing the town as one of several being shelled in the Donetsk region. Reuters was unable to verify conditions on the ground.
Russian commanders have made the capture of Soledar a key objective in a campaign to take the nearby strategic city of Bakhmut and Ukraine's larger eastern Donbas region.