According to Russian sources, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have begun mining the railroad bridges and transport hubs in Artemovsk and its suburbs. They are clearly preparing to surrender the city.
 
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Ukrainian soldiers are picking up their dead in the fields of the Zaporozhye region.

A Russian drone films the Ukrainians collecting the bodies of their dead comrades in the Zaporozhye region. 

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Russian journalist @sashakots wrote :

Will the Ukrainians decide to counterattack in Soledar?

They might very well. And not even so much as to unblock their brothers-in-arms who are trapped in the cauldron. There are still pockets of resistance in the city from AFU fighters who have not yet realised that they are in the cauldron. Here's an interview with one of them on CNN: 

"We are holding on, although practically on our own." Without commanders.It is not clear who our neighbours are, but someone is there and is fighting. "We have no communication with them."

There is a loss of control when the units do not know that they are already surrounded. And they are probably fighting each other. According to unverified information, part of the Soledar garrison may be hiding in the salt mines underground.

Now there are reports that Kiev is dragging its reserves to Soledar. But not for the sake of the "prisoners of the underground." We have seen many examples where the Kiev regime has become hostage to symbols and PR victories. 

This was the case at Ilovaysk, the Donetsk airport, and Azovstal. Ukrainian propaganda draws an image of the indestructibility and steadfastness of its army from doomed defensive strongholds. instead of withdrawing units from areas under attack, as it was smart enough to do in Lisichansk.

At the same time, of course, there are no fools in Kiev. And they understand that by throwing reserves into the fight, they risk a Russian offensive in other weakened directions. We'll see who wins: Zelensky's PR or Zaluzhny's military thinking. Their rivalry is already palpable.

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A fighter of the Wagner PMC showed the trophy chevrons he had taken off the Ukrainian servicemen he had killed in Soledar.

Among them were fighters of the military reconnaissance unit, the 4th Tank Brigade, the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and others. 

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Soledar is now under the complete control of the Russian Army (its Wagner wing).

Hundreds of fighters from the Ukrainian side have been taken prisoner.

Mop-up operations continue, but they are increasingly turning to patrol duty now.

The Kiev regime will continue to counterattack, futilely. The next goals are Seversk and Artyomovsk.

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Ukrainian soldier in Soledar describes dire situation: "We are just abandoned"

A Ukrainian soldier in the town of Soledar described a dire situation to CNN on Thursday evening, saying “we are just abandoned.”

“We tried to withdraw ourselves, but the Orcs [Russians] are already there. If there is no order to withdraw today, we will most likely not have time to leave,” he told CNN over the phone. “We were told that we would be withdrawn. And now we аre just abandoned.”

He said that the soldiers had run out of food, were running low on water, and that they had wounded soldiers. He said that they still had some ammunition.
“The last evacuation was three days ago,” he said. “The order was to hold out to the very end. Judging by the sounds of the battle, our neighbors [other units] either withdrew or were ordered to withdraw. We were told to hold out.”

“We hold on as long as we can. But anyone can get tired and hit the limit eventually. It is impossible to hold on just on a high morale for so long.”

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"Russian forces have taken Artemovsk (Bakhmut) into operational encirclement," said Igor Kimakovsky, adviser to the DPR's acting head.

PS: we're Waiting for confirmed reports from Wagner chief, Prigozhin Or Russian MOD
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German Chancellor Scholz is caught in a trap because of the supplies of Leopard 2 tanks, which Ukraine is hoping for, believes a German former NATO general.

If the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany refuses to give Poland permission for supplies, he will cause problems with his allies in the North Atlantic Alliance. Agreeing to give Kiev the machines would upset Scholz's own Social Democratic Party, Hans-Lothar Domröse told RND.

Earlier, Berlin stated that it knew nothing about Poland's "tank alliance" and was not going to send Kiev a Leopard 2 yet.

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Danilov had already threatened that Germany would have to "fight near Berlin and near Stuttgart" if the Germans did not hand over the tanks.
 
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Military expert @Boris_Rozhin reported on the situation near Bakhmut:

Reports on the operational encirclement of Artemovsk and the capture of Krasnaya Gora, Kleshcheevka, and Paraskoviyivka are currently ahead of events (Bakhmut is not under operational encirclement, and these settlements have not been captured). Russian troops are fighting for these settlements, and there is a lot of hard work ahead. There is also much work to be done before fire control is established over the Chasov Yar-Artemovsk road.

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❗️ 🇷🇺 In battles in the Artemovsk direction, Wagner fighters completely destroyed the 61st brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

We are talking about the brigade whose fighters brazenly marched into Kherson last fall and committed their atrocities against the local population there.
 
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Situation map, 12 Jan

Despite endless false claims of victory, Kievans fear a possible offensive. In the north, AFU is laying mines and strengthening positions. These events provide hints as to upcoming changes in the nature of the SMO. The ambiguous situation in Belarus, success in Soledar, as well as changes in the SMO command structure are clear signs of a sharp change in the situation at the front. There was no "freeze".

⚔️Situation for past days:

⚫️ Svatovo-Kremennoe direction

Our artillery and army aviation worked on militant positions in the vicinity of Kislovka, Berestovoye in Kharkov region and Novoselovsky LPR. In the districts of Kislovka, Olshana, Tabaevka, Krakhmalny and Pershotravnevoy of Kharkiv region, five Ukrainian sabotage & recon groups were liquidated. In addition, in the areas of Stelmahovka, Novolyubovka, Nevsky LPR, Serebryanka and Grigorovka of the DPR, RF Armed Forces, combined active combat operations with complex fires, to inflict heavy losses on the AFU.

⚫️ Soledar direction

In Soledar, city shelters previously used by AFU support units are being cleared. Fighting for the "Salt" railway station continues. According to information from the field, the AFU is regrouping in Seversk region and west of Soledar. Despite rumors about attempts by the Kiev regime to regain control of the city, AFU command should admit the city is lost to them.

⚫️Ugledar direction

In the districts of Novomikhailovka, Prechistovka and Novoselka of the DPR, up to AFU 30 militants and five cars were destroyed by offensive fires.

💥Russian fighter aircraft shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 in the Nikanorovka area of the DPR. An American AN / TPQ-50 radar station was eliminated in the Lozovoy DPR region.

💡The legendary "Bradley" Fighting Vehicle. Now a fairly serious combat vehicle will be delivered to "country 404". Clearly a higher class than what was supplied earlier. What are its features? How to destroy it?

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