VLADIMIR Putin looks set to face "extreme displeasure" after sacking a top commander in a move that shows "increasing seriousness" according to the UK's Ministry of Defence.
The tyrant demoted his top commander – the fifth since the invasion began last February – over his failure to end the war in Ukraine.
Putin and Defence Minister Sergeri Shoigu replaced Sergei 'General Armageddon' Shurovikin with Valery Gerasimov as Russian troops were humiliated on the battlefield.
The UK's Ministry of Defence said: "The deployment of the CGS as theatre commander is an indicator of the increasing seriousness of the situation Russia is facing, and a clear acknowledgement that the campaign is falling short of Russia’s strategic goals.
"The move is likely to be greeted with extreme displeasure by much of the Russian ultra-nationalist and military blogger community, who have increasingly blamed Gerasimov for the poor execution of the war."
Read our Ukraine war blog below for the latest news…
President Zelensky has vowed to provide support to the undersiege town of Soledar "promptly and uninterruptedly."
The small town, located around 10km outside of Bakhmut, has been all but destroyed by Russian attacks.
This morning, Russian officials claimed to have found the body of missing British national near the town.
According to a new report from Al Jazeera, the town of Soledar, near Bakhmut, was hit with heavy shelling today.
One of the publication's reporters, Charles Staford, described the scene.
Speaking earlier today he said: “In the last few minutes, we have heard heavy machine gun fire as well,” Stratford said.
“There’s a [Ukrainian] checkpoint very close to us as well, at which we were prevented from going any further towards Bakhmut. It seems as if they’re only allowing the military through."
Russia have imposed sanctions against 36 British citizens, the BBC Russian service have reported.
The sanctions have been imposed on members of the UK government, members of security and law enforcement agencies and journalists.
The Foreign Ministry said the move was down to “the anti-Russian course of the British government, which continues to actively apply the mechanism of personal sanctions and conducts an intensive propaganda campaign to discredit our country and isolate it in the international arena”.
Satellite images of the Ukrainian town of Soledar show the devastation Putin's invasion has brought to the region.
The images, published by Maxar Technologies and shared by the Kyiv Independent, show almost every home in the small town devastated by Russian attacks.
Earlier this week, President Zelensky starkly said "there are no walls" left in Soledar.
⚡️Satellite imagery shows magnitude of destruction in Soledar.
New images published by U.S. satellite imagery company Maxar shows Soledar, Donestk Oblast after Jan. 10, 2023, revealing apartment buildings that have been completely destroyed.
Photos: Maxar Technologies pic.twitter.com/v46v0kVe28
A Russian-backed official in the Donetsk region of Ukraine has said "pockets of resistance" still remain as Putin's forces attempt to take the town.
Andrei Bayevsky said: "At the moment, there are still some small pockets of resistance in Soledar.
"Our guys continue to push the enemy in these places. In general, the operation has been going well, and already the western outskirts of Soledar are completely under our control."
Taking to Instagram today, President Zelensky issued a rallying cry for his troops.
He shared a series of images showing the destruction Russia has wrought on Ukraine.
The president wrote: "We didn’t lose anything.
"It was taken from us. Ukraine didn’t lose its sons and daughters – they were taken away by murderers.
"Ukrainians didn’t lose homes – they were destroyed by terrorists. The world did not lose peace – Russia destroyed it."
A top German official has said the country shouldn't stand in the way of military aid being supplied to Ukraine.
“Germany should not stand in the way of other countries taking decisions to support Ukraine, independent of which decisions Germany takes,” Robert Habeck, Germany's vice chancellor, said.
This comes as Poland furthers its efforts to send German-built tanks to Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defence has provided the latest Defence Intelligence update regarding the situation in Ukraine.
Take a look at the map below.
The illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is continuing.
The map below is the latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 12 January 2023
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/ggPKcJWd6e
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/eKSOiBE0j9
Ukraine’s Armed Forces have claimed that Russia have lost a further 430 troops within the past 24 hours.
Russian losses have now hit 113,390 since the start of the war in Ukraine.
«In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.»
Albert Camus
Total combat losses of the enemy from Feb 24 to Jan 12: pic.twitter.com/0tGha5YKn5
Marsel Kandarov, 24, has been jailed for five years after refusing to join Putin's brutal invasion, the Guardian reports.
Kandarov, was due to report for duty in May 2022, but refused to show, as he "didn't want to take part" in Putin's war.
Now, a Russian court in the city of Ufa found Kandarov guilty of evading military service.
A Kremlin spokesperson has denied claims that Russia has information on two British nationals missing in Ukraine.
“We know from media reports that we are talking about British citizens who were militants, took part in the hostilities with weapons in their hands. It appears that documents were found on the battlefield,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
The two men, Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry, reportedly travelled to Ukraine to help the humanitarian effort.
The Kremlin said it "does not have information" on the two men.
The Ministry has claimed that Russia has “allocated elements of the 76th Guards Air Landing Division” to reinforce the Kremina front line.
The Ministry Tweeted: “Over the last two days, heavy fighting has continued both around the town of Soledar, Donetsk Oblast, and on the approaches to Kremina, Luhansk Oblast.
“Since the start of January 2023, Russia has almost certainly allocated elements of the 76th Guards Air Landing Division of the VDV (airborne forces) to reinforce the Kremina front line after assessing the sector was significantly vulnerable.
“Until November 2022, Russia committed almost the whole of the deployable VDV as long-term, ground-holding troops along the front line in the Kherson area.
“Now redeployed to the Donbas and southern Ukraine, commanders are likely attempting to employ VDV more in line with their supposed doctrinal role as a relatively elite rapid reaction force.”
Shock footage shows the mercenaries attempting to hunker for cover as Ukrainians use a drone to scout their positions.
Machine gun fire rains down upon them as they attempt to hide as they move through a rail yard.
Explosions then erupt as the unit is "wiped out" during the brutal battle.
Former intelligence officer, Philip Ingram has claimed that Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin is a "potential successor" of Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to Sky News he said: "He's been – not replaced, but somebody has been put in above him, and that's Gerasimov. Now, Gerasimov… is the equivalent of the chief of the defence staff in UK terms.
"He's a big Putin ally, he's been in a planning role – a major role since the planning of the Chechen Wars of 1999 and again instrumental in the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and this special military operation.
"Surovikin, who was the commander of all the operations in Ukraine, has been demoted to one of three of his deputies.
"But then there's a wild card in all of this, and the wild card is Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is the head of the Wagner operation. It's his troops that are involved in all the fighting that we're hearing about around Bakhmut and Soledar.
"But he has got a direct link to Vladimir Putin. He should, strictly speaking, be working under the military chain of command but he seems to do his own thing.
"He's taking over in so many different areas. He's also reportedly a potential successor to Putin should that come in – and he's been openly critical of both [defence minister] Sergei Shoigu and Gerasimov."
Fighting continues to rage on in Soledar as Russian and Ukrainian forces continue to battle for the city.
Andrei Bayevsky, a Russian-installed local politician has said: "At the moment, there are still some small pockets of resistance in Soledar.
"Our guys continue to push the enemy in these places. In general, the operation has been going well, and already the western outskirts of Soledar are completely under our control."
Putin appeared in pain as he repeatedly rubbed his hand while blasting his deputy prime minister over Russia's humiliation in Ukraine.
Rumours have persisted that Putin, 70, is "critically ill" and has been receiving treatment for cancer.
Bombshell spy documents leaked to The Sun appeared to confirm he has pancreatic cancer and early-stage Parkinson's disease.
Fresh footage issued by the Kremlin shows the tyrant constantly rubbing the back of his right hand during a virtual meeting with Russian government officials.
Ukraine's Armed Forces have claimed that Russia have lost a further 430 troops within the past 24 hours.
Russian losses have now hit 113,390 since the start of the war in Ukraine.
«In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.»
Albert Camus
Total combat losses of the enemy from Feb 24 to Jan 12: pic.twitter.com/0tGha5YKn5
Ukrainian police said the two left the city of Kramatorsk for the town of Soledar on Friday morning and were reported missing on Saturday evening after contact with them was lost.
A British Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting the families of two British men who have gone missing in Ukraine.
"We are aware of recent reports and are in touch with the Ukrainian authorities."
Ukraine's deputy defence minister said Kyiv's forces were still holding out in Soledar despite a massive Russian onslaught.
If Russia captures the town, it would be the most substantial gain since a series of humiliating retreats throughout much of the second half of last year.
Britain said Russia had most likely seized most of Soledar as it tries to take control of the nearby city of Bakhmut.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said the situation in Soledar was "approaching that of critical".
Ukraine claims that over 100 Russian soldiers have been killed in a single missile strike.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russian private military firm Wagner and a close ally of Vladimir Putin, said his forces had captured all of Soledar.
The Ukrainian military, however, insisted the battle was not over.
On Thursday, Ukraine said it had used a Soviet-era Tochka-U missile to blast and kill a group of more than 100 Russian soliders after they were spotted with a drone.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said: "Over a hundred Russian occupiers were eliminated in the Soledar area."
Russia have imposed sanctions against 36 British citizens, the BBC Russian service have reported.
The sanctions have been imposed on members of the UK government, members of security and law enforcement agencies and journalists.
The Foreign Ministry said the move was down to “the anti-Russian course of the British government, which continues to actively apply the mechanism of personal sanctions and conducts an intensive propaganda campaign to discredit our country and isolate it in the international arena”.
In his nightly address, Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Poland and Lithuania for their continued support.
He said: "Important news for Ukraine was announced during the Summit of the Lublin Triangle, our special format with Poland and Lithuania. Poland has decided to provide tanks for Ukraine – I am grateful for this. I thank President Duda, the Government of Poland, all our Polish friends.
"Lithuania provides anti-aircraft systems to our country – the weapons we need to protect ourselves from Iranian drones – to protect our energy sector.
"I thank Gitanas for another demonstration of unwavering and principled support for Ukraine, which began even before February 24 and will continue until our victory. "
The Ministry have claimed that Russia have "allocated elements of the 76th Guards Air Landing Division" to reinforce the Kremina front line.
The Ministry Tweeted: "Over the last two days, heavy fighting has continued both around the town of Soledar, Donetsk Oblast, and on the approaches to Kremina, Luhansk Oblast.
"Since the start of January 2023, Russia has almost certainly allocated elements of the 76th Guards Air Landing Division of the VDV (airborne forces) to reinforce the Kremina front line after assessing the sector was significantly vulnerable.
"Until November 2022, Russia committed almost the whole of the deployable VDV as long-term, ground-holding troops along the front line in the Kherson area.
"Now redeployed to the Donbas and southern Ukraine, commanders are likely attempting to employ VDV more in line with their supposed doctrinal role as a relatively elite rapid reaction force."
The Telegram channel for Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed on Wednesday: ”On January 8, the Ask Wagner hotline received a request to find two British citizens who disappeared on January 6 in Soledar – Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry.
"Today the body of one of them was found. Documents on both Britons were found with him.”
The Russian mercenary group, Wagner, have claimed they had found a body of one of two British aid workers that went missing.
The foreign office said it was supporting the families of Andrew Bagshaw, 48, and Chris Parry, 28, however they have not confirmed the claim.
William vows to 'keep going' as he, Kate & Charles get back to work after book
Jeff Beck famous for Hi Ho Silver Lining hit dies aged 78
Harry won't be welcome at Coronation as royals fear 'ending up in paperback'
Peaky Blinders star forced to deny misconduct claim after colleague's complaint
©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. “The Sun”, “Sun”, “Sun Online” are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers’ Limited’s Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. View our online Press Pack. For other inquiries, Contact Us. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)
Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/