“I will say, as I said before, that they have made gradual progress in both areas,” Kirby was quoted as saying by TASS.
Soledar was released as part of a special operation by Russian troops on the night of January 12. After that, the Russian Armed Forces continued to move towards the Artemivsk region, gradually cutting off the supply routes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
It is believed that Artemovsk is an important transport artery, which in the future may open the way for the Russian army to Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. Until now, Artemovsk is being squeezed by units of the Russian army, the city is close to operational encirclement.