Trench warfare begins in Soledar - AFU fighter Barna

He said this on the air of the Espreso TV channel.

"Trench warfare is taking place in Soledar, that is, the positions of both sides have been fixed and it is too early to talk about the loss of Soledar. I think the General Staff of Ukraine will develop a strategy to strengthen Ukrainian positions. The fact that the Russian side has improved its military position in Soledar does not mean that it will be strategically important in terms of the results of potential battles," Barna said.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces fighter also added that the situation in Donbas has been difficult for the last few months.

"Artillery, tank and mortar attacks take place every day. Russia uses phosphorus bombs," Barna noted.

• Russian troops are advancing in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions. However, Ukrainian defenders continued to destroy the Russian army and repelled Russian attacks near 16 settlements in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions