Putin on Wagner Group forces capturing Soledar: ‘I hope our fighters make us happy a few more times’

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he considers the dynamics that have developed in the combat zone in Ukraine to be “positive,” according to an interview the president gave to journalist Pavel Zarubin, for the “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” program on network Russia 1. Putin’s words were a response to Zarubin’s observation that “there’s news from Soledar.”

“The dynamic is positive. Everything is developing according to the plans of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. And I hope our fighters make us happy more than once with the results of their combat work,” said Putin.

• On January 13, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Soledar, in the Donetsk region, was under Russian control. The Ukrainian side said the fight for the city was still ongoing.
• The Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian troops, including paratroopers, had taken part in capturing Soledar. However the ministry’s report didn’t mention Wagner Group mercenaries, who, according to a Wagner spokesperson, took part in storming the city. Wagner Group founder Evgeny Prigozhin criticized the Defense Ministry, after which it noted “the courageous and selfless actions of volunteers in assault detachments.”