Free Republic

The Russian Defense Ministry has demoted General Surovikin to deputy head of the united Russian troops in Ukraine & Valery Gerasimov is the new head. This occurs just after his near predecessor Lapin has been promoted.

Russia's defence ministry says its forces are taking part in the battle for Soledar, a town north of Bakhmut in east Ukraine which has been the focus of recent fighting. It comes after the head of Russia's notoriously brutal Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed his fighters were in full control there and boasted that only his troops took part. Mr Prigozhin will most likely use any victory to bolster the reputation of Wagner as an effective fighting force in the eyes of President Putin. But the Russian defence ministry appeared to contradict the controversial oligarch's claims. Spokesman Igor Konashenkov...

The acting head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushlin, said the republic's cities of Soledar and Artemovsk were about to be liberated MOSCOW, January 11./TASS/.The city of Soledar, the scene of intense fighting in the past few days, has been under the control by units of Russia's Wagner private military company, the company's Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was quoted as saying by his press service on Tuesday night. "Units of the Wagner private military company have taken the entire territory of Soledar under their control. The city center has been surrounded, and urban warfare is underway. The number of captives...