Kiev-January 10, 2023

In his daily address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said :

"I thank all our soldiers protecting Bakhmut and all the fighters of Solidar who withstand the attacks of new and more severe invaders"

Zelensky said his forces were withstanding "new and even more severe attacks" on Solidar near the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Moscow has been trying to control for months

Solidar is located in the Donetsk region at a distance of about 15 kilometers from the city of Bakhmut, which before the war had a population of 70 thousand people and has now become the center of fighting

"Thanks to the steadfastness of our soldiers there, in Solidar, we have gained additional time for Ukraine."

"Everything is completely destroyed... Every Solidar territory is covered with corpses of invaders and mutilations left by explosions"

"After an unsuccessful attempt by the enemy to take over Solidar, the Russians regrouped, restored manpower, transferred additional offensive units, changed tactics and began assaults,"Deputy Defense Minister Gana Malyar said on Telegram

"Currently, the enemy has deployed a large number of offensive units consisting of the best reserves of the Wagner group. They are literally stepping on the corpses of their soldiers."

Zelensky stressed the need to strengthen support for Ukraine, noting at a press conference that the alliance is determined to "take the NATO-EU partnership to the next level," adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin "failed" in his attempts to divide Western allies in relation to the conflict in Ukraine