Russia-Ukraine war: fight for Soledar continues, says Zelenskiy; Kyiv fortifying border with Belarus – live

Ukraine’s president dismisses the reported capture of eastern city as propaganda; Kyiv’s forces train for the threat of a fresh assault from the north

Ukraine denies that Russian forces have encircled and captured Soledar after claims by the head of the Wagner mercenary group that the eastern city had fallen.

On Tuesday evening, Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his Wagner army had taken control of the small salt-mining town of Soledar.

The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend that some part of our city of Soledar … is allegedly some kind of Russia’s achievement,” he said in his Wednesday evening address.

They will present – and are already presenting – this to their society in such a way as to support mobilisation and to give hope to those who support aggression.