Russia has named a new commander for its invasion of Ukraine, which is now heading into its 11th month. On Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu appointed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as the overall commander of the offensive, effectively demoting General Sergei Surovikin. Surovkin was appointed in October to lead the offensive and oversaw heavy attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Parallel to this development, the Russian private military corps, the Wagner Group has reported its capture of the salt mining town Soledar in eastern Ukraine was complete. According to its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group has captured the entire city of Soledar and killed about 500 Ukrainian soldiers in heavy fighting.
"I want to confirm the complete liberation and cleansing of the territory of Soledar," stated Prigozhin, adding: "The city is littered with the corpses of Ukrainian soldiers."
Meanwhile, American and Ukrainian officials deny the Russian claims regarding the city, with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin telling reporters on Wednesday he could not corroborate reports that Soledar was now in Russian hands.
In a statement on Facebook, the Ukrainian military general staff said Russian forces were suffering heavy losses as they tried to take Soledar and sever Ukrainian supply lines.
Russia has struggled to cement control over the city, which would be Russia's most substantial gain since August after a series of retreats before Ukrainian counter-offensives in the east and south.