Russian issues false statements about Bakhmut encirclement 

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported this. 

American analysts point out that the Russians' claims about possible success in Soledar in Donetsk region do not portend Bakhmut's imminent encirclement. Even if the statements of Russian military bloggers that Russian troops are fighting on the outskirts of Rozdolivka 6 km northwest of Soledar are true, the occupying forces are still far from the operative encirclement of Bakhmut.

In order to effectively cut Ukrainian ground lines of communication into Bakhmut, Russian forces would have to establish control over the Siversk-Bakhmut and Sloviansk-Bakhmut routes, 7 km and 13 km from confirmed Russian attack points, respectively.

“Considering that the recent rate of gains in this area has been on the order of a few hundred meters a day, at most, it is highly unlikely that Russian forces will be successful in cohering a mechanized push towards these ground lines of communication (GLOCs) and move towards encircling Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut would still have GLOCs available even if the Russians cut the E40, moreover, making the entire discussion of an encirclement at this point bizarre,” the ISW concluded. 

• On January 7, journalist Yurii Butusov stated that Soledar is under the reliable protection of the 46th Detached Airborne Assault Brigade of Ukraine's Armed Forces.