UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 329 - JANUARY 16, 2023

The Kremlin continues to publicly deny the claims made by financier of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that the Wagner Group troops were solely responsible for the capture of Soledar (Donetsk region) on January 12.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attributed the success on the front lines to the plans of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the General Staff when responding to a journalist's question about Russian advances in Soledar on January 15. Putin's statement was broadcast live on state-controlled television and was likely a deliberate attempt to undermine Prigozhin's influence in the Russian information space, as Putin has refrained from commenting on tactical progress in Ukraine so far. Putin may have also wanted to show that he maintains control over traditional Russian mass media, while Prigozhin is gaining more followers on Telegram and other social networks. The Russian Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, continued to report that assault units of the Russian Southern Military District (SMD) and Russian airborne troops were attacking Ukrainian positions around Bakhmut, deliberately omitting mention of the Wagner forces in their daily briefing on January 15.

The full Russian Offensive Update 329 is available directly from UNDERSTANDING WAR.

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