Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had taken control of the Ukrainian salt-mining town of Soledar in Donetsk region on Thursday, state media reported.

It added that Russia's capture of the town would allow its troops to cut off Ukrainian forces from the nearby, much larger town of Bakhmut.

The Kremlin has made capturing the industrial Donetsk region its primary objective after nearly one year of fighting, having been forced to abandon more ambitious goals like seizing the capital, Kyiv, and ousting Ukraine's government.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials denied that Russia controls Soledar. According to the spokesperson of the eastern group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, "severe" fighting is ongoing in the town, and Ukrainian troops continue to hold the defense. 

However, the US-based Institute for the Study of War, a military observation group, said in an analytical note that Russian forces had likely captured Soledar on Wednesday.

Here are other updates concerning the war in Ukraine on January 13:

Germany plans Ukraine memorial event on anniversary of Russian attack

Leading German politicians will attend an event at Berlin's Bellevue Palace on February 24 to mark one year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to the Office of the Federal President, Germany wants to show solidarity with Ukraine and pay tribute to the Ukrainian people's struggle for freedom.

The leaders of Germany's five constitutional bodies at the national level are all expected to attend.  President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will give the main speech. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Presidents of the Bundestag, the Bundesrat and the Federal Constitutional Court — Bärbel Bas, Peter Tschentscher and Stephan Harbarth — have been invited.

The Office of the Federal President also said that the Ukrainian embassy in Germany was closely involved in the preparations for the memorial event.

France, Germany press Africa to condemn Russian aggression in Ukraine

The foreign ministers from Germany and France called on the African Union (AU) to show solidarity with Europe against Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a visit to the organization's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital.

"It is important to remember that there is an aggressor and an attacked and it is important that everyone tells the aggressor that he must stop," France's Catherine Colonna said.

The call was echoed by her German counterpart Annalena Baerbock. "In these times, when our peaceful order in Europe has been attacked by the Russian war of aggression, we as Europeans need the support of our friends and partners worldwide," said Baerbock.

Ukraine and Russia are major suppliers of wheat and other cereals to Africa, and the war's impact has been felt across the continent with sharp increases in the price of fuel, grain and fertiliser.

However, many African nations have shown a reluctance to condemn Russia's invasion, for instance at the United Nations, often abstaining from motions criticizing the war, or even opposing them.

Germany has not received Leopard tank delivery requests from Poland, Finland

The German government has not received an official request from Poland or Finland to supply the Leopard main battle tank to Ukraine, a German government spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said there are no concerns that Poland will deliver the Leopard tank to Ukraine without Germany's permission, which would be in violation of re-export rules.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has said on Wednesday that his country would send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if there was a larger coalition of countries doing so, while Germany has said it has no plans to send any.

On Thursday, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has also said that Finland could donate a small number of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if a wider group of European nations also decided to do so.

France seeks to deliver tanks in two months

France is hoping to deliver AMX 10-RC light combat tanks to Ukraine within the next two months, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a statement on Friday.

The statement contained a summary of a phone conversation he had on Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, in which France also reiterated its general support for Ukraine.

France announced last week it will send light combat tanks to Ukraine. Following France's announcement, Germany and the US said they would send armored vehicles. 

The US will provide Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, while Germany is to supply Marder infantry fighting vehicles, the two nations said.

AMX-10 is an armored reconnaissance vehicle with a high level of mobility, with a carrying capacity of four crew.

Ukraine says it is 'de facto' part of NATO

Ukraine has effectively become a NATO member, its defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov has said, despite the military alliance's reluctance to get embroiled in a wider conflict with Russia.

"Ukraine as a country, and the armed forces of Ukraine, became [a] member of NATO," Reznikov said. "De facto, not de jure [in law]. Because we have weaponry, and the understanding of how to use it."

Formal membership would require the rest of NATO to defend Ukraine, and Russia has already warned of the risks of a nuclear conflict erupting.

Short of that, Western countries including the United States have been supplying armoured fighting vehicles and rocketry to Ukraine, but balked so far at sending long-range missiles and heavier tanks

NATO to relocate reconnaissance planes closer to Ukraine

The trans-Atlantic security alliance is relocating several of its surveillance planes currently stationed in Germany to Romania, where they will be in closer proximity to Russia's war against Ukraine.

The Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance planes are scheduled to arrive in Bucharest on Tuesday "to support the alliance's reinforced presence in the region and monitor Russian military activity," NATO said in a statement.

The AWACS planes, which are usually based near Aachen in western Germany, will be stationed at the Romanian Air Force base at Otopeni near Bucharest, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the EU and NATO country's eastern border with Ukraine, and remain there for several weeks.

"As Russia's illegal war in Ukraine continues to threaten peace and security in Europe, there must be no doubt about NATO's resolve to protect and defend every inch of allied territory," said NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu.

Ukraine resisting 'high intensity' offensive in Soledar

Ukraine said it was resisting a "high intensity" Russian offensive in Soledar, a town in the eastern Donetsk region where Kyiv has claimed Moscow was deploying more troops.

"It was hot overnight in Soledar. Hostilities continued. The enemy relocated almost all of its main forces to the Donetsk front and is maintaining a high intensity offensive," said Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar, adding this was a "difficult phase of the war."

The Kremlin has made capturing the industrial Donetsk region its primary objective after nearly one year of fighting, having been forced to abandon more ambitious goals like seizing the capital, Kyiv, and ousting Ukraine's government.

The Russian mercenary group Wagner claims to have spearheaded the offensive for a salt mining town Soledar and announced earlier this week that their forces were controlling Soledar. But both the Kremlin and the Russian Defense Ministry earlier this week urged caution and said fighting in Soledar was still ongoing.

Meanwhile, the US-based Institute for the Study of War, a military observation group, said in an analytical note that Russian forces had likely captured Soledar on Wednesday.

Russia: Military drills with Belarus designed to deter escalation

In an interview with state media, Russian Foreign Ministry official Aleksey Polishchuk said that a flurry of joint military drills between Russia and its close ally Belarus was designed to deter "potential opponents from escalation and provocations."

He also warned that Belarus may join the Ukraine conflict if it or Russia were invaded. "From a legal point of view, the use of military force by the Kyiv regime or the invasion of the territory of Belarus or Russia by the armed forces of Ukraine are sufficient grounds for a collective response," Polishchuk told the TASS news agency.

Russia used Belarus as a springboard to invade Ukraine in February 2022, and the October deployment of a joint troop group to Belarus raised fears in Kyiv that Russia could be preparing to launch a new offensive from its northern neighbor this year.

Putin ally suggests confiscating property of Russian war critics

A close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested confiscating property and assets of Russians who discredit the country's armed forces and oppose the war in Ukraine.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian Duma, said current measures, such as fines for those who speak out against what Moscow calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine, were not strict enough.

More on the war in Ukraine

Human Rights Watch in its annual report praised the international response to the war in Ukraine, adding that it also exposed the "double standards" of most EU countries.

dh/rs (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)