Russian Defense Ministry official says Ukrainian troops advancing in direction of Soledar along entire contact line

A Russian Defense Ministry representative reported Friday that Ukrainian forces were advancing in the tactical direction of Soledar “along the entire contact line extending more than 95 kilometers” (59 miles) on Thursday.

According to the official, Ukrainian units carried out 26 attacks involving a total of more than 1,000 troops and as many as 40 tanks. “All of the Ukrainian units’ attacks were repelled. No breakthroughs in Russia’s defenses were permitted,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Ukrainian troops had stopped Russian forces through “extraordinary efforts” and “even pushed them back” in some areas.

On Thursday evening, pro-invasion Russian war bloggers began writing that Ukraine’s long-anticipated counteroffensive had begun, claiming that Ukrainian troops had broken through Russia’s defenses around Soledar, begun surrounding Russian forces in Bakhmut, and sent a large number of tanks towards the Russian border. The Russian Defense Ministry later reported that these reports were false.