Ukrainian military near Soledar fire German-made howitzer

Ukrainian servicemen fired a German-made PzH 2000 howitzer at Russian positions on Wednesday (January 11) near Soledar.

Despite some technical flaws, the servicemen are satisfied with the PzH 2000.A Ukrainian serviceman who uses the call-sign ‘Pravda’ says their howitzer shot more than 1,300 shells in two months.

“When the automatics work, the fire rate is unbelievable. It shoots very quickly; it shoots very accurately. If you do everything correct, it shoots unbelievably accurately,” said ‘Pravda’.

Russian commanders have targeted Soledar as a platform to attack the nearby city of Bakhmut, which has held out for months against a Russian onslaught.

A victory in Soledar would have symbolic, military and commercial value for Russia after a series of battlefield setbacks in recent months, but its fate was not entirely clear on Wednesday morning.

The Kyiv government said earlier its forces were holding out. The Ukrainian military's morning summary made one mention of Soledar, listing it as one of several towns being shelled in the Donetsk region of the Donbas.

Reuters was unable to verify conditions on the ground.