UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 322 - JANUARY 9, 2023

The financier of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, continues to use reports of Wagner Group successes in Soledar to bolster the reputation of the Wagner Group as an effective combat unit.

The forces of the Wagner Group claim to have taken over areas within Soledar in recent days, and many Russian sources have discussed the gains as indicators that the Wagner Group forces could soon surround Bakhmut. Combat footage shared on social media on January 9 shows Wagner Group fighters engaging in intense battles with small arms near the city hall in the center of Soledar. Several Russian military bloggers noted on January 8 and 9 that Wagner Group forces are responsible for the block-by-block advances in Soledar and other key settlements northeast of Bakhmut, as well as within Bakhmut itself. On January 9, Prigozhin emphasized that "solely" units of the Wagner Group are gaining ground in Soledar, noting that Wagner fighters are currently involved in "intense fighting for the city hall building."

Prigozhin will continue to use both confirmed and fabricated Wagner Group successes in Soledar and Bakhmut to portray the Wagner Group as the only Russian force in Ukraine capable of achieving tangible successes, as ISW has already reported.

The full Russian Offensive Update 322 is available directly from UNDERSTANDING WAR.

UNDERSTANDING WAR online