Kyiv Denies Russian Claims That Its Forces Are Surrounded in Soledar

A tank fires a round, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Soledar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, in this screen grab released on Jan. 8, 2023. State Border Guard Service of Ukraine/via Reuters

Officials in Kyiv have denied Russian claims that Ukrainian troops in the flashpoint town of Soledar have been surrounded by advancing Russian forces.

“The town [Soledar] is not under the control of the Russian Federation,” Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military’s Eastern Command, said in televised remarks on Jan. 11.