Ukraine clinging on to Soledar amid one of war’s bloodiest battles

The fate of the key front line Ukrainian city of Soledar continues to hang in the balance as it endures one of the bloodiest battles of Russia’s invasion. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky said fighting still raged in the key eastern Ukrainian city, which a Russian mercenary group earlier claimed it controlled.

Speaking in his nightly video address on Wednesday, Mr Zelensky insisted the front was “holding”.

“The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend” to have achieved some successes in Soledar, Mr Zelensky said, adding “but the fighting continues”.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have admitted the battle for Soledar has been long and brutal. However, if the city did fall to Moscow’s forces, that would mark Russia’s first significant territorial gain in Ukraine in months.