January 11, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

Poland will send Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Lviv.

“A company of Leopard tanks for Ukraine will be handed over/given as part of building an international coalition,” Duda said in a statement on his official Twitter account. “This decision has already been taken in Poland.” 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the decision.

“Today I can say a very important word for our defense, for our state, for our army, for the common defense of Ukraine and the whole Europe — the word ‘tanks,’” Zelensky said during a news conference in Lviv alongside his Polish and Lithuanian counterparts.

See Duda's tweet:

It would be the first time a Western-made tank has been sent to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.

Duda cautioned during a press conference that “a whole range of formal requirements, approvals and so on must also be met.”

The Leopard tank is manufactured in Germany, and its re-export would typically need the approval of the German government. A spokesperson for the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Säverin, referred CNN to the Polish government.

The small mining town of Soledar has seen some of the most recent intense fighting along the frontline in Ukraine.

The town is located 15 kilometers (or about 9 miles) north of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region.

The head of Wagner, the Russian private military company, claimed Tuesday that his forces had taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tempered that sentiment on Wednesday, saying only that there was a “positive trend.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its forces had “blocked Soledar from the northern and southern parts” of the settlement.

The move for Soledar by Wagner would be strategically important to the ultimate capture of Bakhmut as a way of enveloping the city from the north and disrupting Ukrainian communication lines.

Bakhmut has risen to infamy for being regularly referred to as the most contested and kinetic part of the 1,300 kilometers (800 mile) frontline in Ukraine. Bakhmut lies on the road towards even bigger and more strategically important cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

Ukrainian armed forces told CNN Wednesday that "Russian troops do not control Soledar." Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that "battles are ongoing there. The Armed Forces of Ukraine and other defense forces are regrouping."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address Tuesday that Russian troops are focused on seizing Soledar, and he thanked Ukraine's troops for their “bravery and steadfastness in defending” the town.

Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said Wednesday afternoon that Russia is not in control of Soledar, the town in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region that has been the site of intense fighting in recent days.

Russia's latest claims: The head of Wagner, the Russian private military company, claimed Tuesday that his forces had taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tempered that sentiment on Wednesday, saying only that there was a “positive trend.” The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its forces had “blocked Soledar from the northern and southern parts” of the settlement.

The Russian defense ministry said Wednesday that airborne units have blocked northern and southern parts of Soledar after the Kremlin cautioned against premature claims on the capture of the eastern Ukrainian town.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Russian private military contractor Wagner, claimed late Tuesday that the group had taken control of the "entire territory of Soledar." Ukrainian forces have confirmed to CNN that battles for the region are "ongoing."

Here are the latest developments:

Belarus’ defense ministry has declared that the joint air defense forces of Belarus and Russia have been reinforced, the ministry’s press service stated on Telegram on Wednesday. 

“Anti-aircraft missile units advanced to designated areas and took up combat duty,” they added. 

On Sunday, the Belarusian defense ministry announced it will hold joint air force exercises with Russia in Belarus from Jan. 16 to Feb. 1 to increase the level of combat training for Belarusian and Russian air force members.  

More background: Some Russian forces are based in Belarus and used its territory in the initial invasion of Ukraine in February. But President Alexander Lukashenko has gone to some lengths to ensure that Belarus troops do not become involved in Russia's "special military operation." 

In December, Ukraine warned it does "not rule out" a "deliberate provocation" from Russia after Belarus said that the wreckage of a Ukrainian missile landed on its territory. 

The decision by the United States to train Ukrainian servicemen on how to use a Patriot missile system is a confirmation of Washington's "de facto involvement in the Ukrainian conflict," Russia's ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said in a statement Tuesday.   

"For example, Washington Post observers openly admitted that the training of Ukrainian troops in the United States means that U.S. involvement into the confrontation is growing. They noted that the administration is no longer limiting itself to strengthening the defense potential of Kiev, but is transferring new weapons to the republic in order to increase its offensive capabilities," Antonov said.   

"The last argument, voiced by the local journalists, vividly shows that Washington deliberately misled our country and the world, speaking about the desire to strengthen Ukraine's self-defense ability," he claimed.

"The real goal of the administration is to inflict on Russia as much damage on the battlefield as possible, using Ukrainians as proxies," Antonov added.  

Some context: Ukrainian troops are set to begin training on the Patriot missile system in the US as soon as next week, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.

The training program will take place at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, where the US conducts its own training on operating and maintaining the advanced air defense system.

Fort Sill is one of the army’s four basic training locations and home to the service’s field artillery school, which has been training service members for more than a century.

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Moscow is monitoring information that alleges Turkey may have supplied cluster munitions to Kyiv, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

However, he said that it remained "difficult" to determine the reliability of such reports.

"Everyone is well aware of the deliveries of Bayraktars to Ukraine from Turkey, as well as ammunition for Bayraktars," he said. 

Last year, Western and Ukrainian officials praised Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 drones for playing a part in countering Russian attacks.

"Turkey has its obligations as a NATO member country, its bilateral relations, we also know this. But at the same time, Turkey and [Russia] are united by very partnership relations based on mutual benefit, understanding, respect and mutual willingness to discuss the most difficult problems," Peskov added Wednesday.

Information about alleged restrictions on traveling outside Russia for men of military age is "hoax and sabotage," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. 

"This is a common information hoax and sabotage," Peskov said when asked during a daily call with reporters whether alleged travel restrictions for Russian men were implemented on January 9. 

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported Wednesday, citing an order that was allegedly sent by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), that from January 9 the Russian Federation has restricted departures from the country for persons fit for military service, including those who are limitedly fit for service.

CNN cannot independently verify the alleged FSB order the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence is referring to.

The Ukrainian armed forces have told CNN that "Russian troops do not control Soledar."

He described the suggestion that Russian forces control and surrounded Soledar as being an "information operation."

He also called out the Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin for "staging" a photo that claimed to show him in a salt mine. Earlier, Prigozhin said that Wagner forces were in total control of the town.

Cherevatyi said Ukrainian forces are supplying troops with ammunition and food and described the situation as being "under control." He added options to "improve the tactical situation were being looked for."

Some context: Russian troops are focused on seizing Soledar, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address. On Tuesday evening he thanked Ukrainian troops for their "bravery and steadfastness in defending Soledar."

Ukraine’s military on Wednesday insisted the situation in the town was "under control," and claimed that "Soledar was, is and always will be Ukrainian."