Ukraine live briefing: Brutal fighting for salt mining town; Canada to buy air defense system for Kyiv

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Updated January 10, 2023 at 5:06 p.m. EST|Published January 10, 2023 at 1:58 a.m. EST
Ukrainian military medics carry the body of one of their comrades into a morgue in Donetsk on Jan. 9. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)
5 min

Fighting is raging in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region as both sides battle for Soledar, a salt mining town just three miles from Bakhmut.

Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, said late Tuesday in a statement on Telegram that his units had seized control of the city. The channel, which is affiliated with Prigozhin’s press service, also posted a photo it said showed Wagner units inside Soledar’s salt mine tunnels, although the image could not be independently verified.