Ukraine has denied a claim by the Russian defence ministry that its forces had taken the town of Soledar, which has become one of the bloodiest battlefields of the war. “The statements of the Russian MoD about the capture ... are not true. There are battles in Soledar,” said Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern group of the Ukrainian army. Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, described the situation in Bakhmut and Soledar as the “battle of Verdun in the 21st century”, referring to the longest battle of the first world war which led to huge casualties. “The Russians release criminals from prisons who die as soon as they reach the front line. Their bodies are left in place,” he said. “But before us is a human mass that is constantly attacking, attacking, attacking. Soledar is a place of street battles ... The Russians are there, but they do not control the city. The situation is complicated, but our goal is to liberate our territories [and] fully restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine.” Moscow is hoping to turn the tide on half a year of humiliating retreats in Ukraine. Hundreds of civilians remain trapped in Soledar. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk, told Ukrainian state TV on Thursday that 559 civilians remained in Soledar, including 15 children, and could not be evacuated. Follow the latest on our liveblog. #ukraine #russia #ukrainewar #ukrainerussiawar #soledar #bakhmut