conflicting claims. the russian military said that as of friday, they controlled the town. ukrainians dispute that claim. and say they still have parts of it. now, what we know is what we saw. we were in in the area around soledar for several days. what we saw is ukraine forces are digging in, they re not trying to retake the town, just trying to hold the pogs they have. now this afternoon we got in touch with some of the troops and they say they are no longer in the area and that they have pulled back. now we don t know if that is part of an organized withdrawal or just a rotation of troops. but what is clear is that the situation is very difficult for ukrainian troops around soledar and the fear is that if and when soledar completely falls and that is confirmed two the russians, that the fighting will intensify further south. as the russians seem to be gaining control of soledar north of here in bakhmut, the fighting is intensifying. one local resident told us before mort
deadliest russian attacks since the invasion. at least 40 people killed in a cruise missile strike on an apartment building right in the center of the ukrainian city of dnipro. dozens more are injured or still missing and officials warn the death toll could climb. new developments in the classified document scandal looming over the white house. sources tell cnn that additional searches are possible and locations connected to president biden, who sources say is growing increasingly frustrated with the saga. we re also following the disaster right now in california, as another round of storms lashes the state. officials now bracing for more flooding and mudslides, as weeks of violent weather take a deadly toll. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i m wolf blitzer. this is the situation room, special report. our top story tonight, ukraine counting bodies as it clears the rubble from one of the deadliest russian attacks since the invasio
as the russians seem to be gaining control of soledar north of here in bakhmut, the fighting is intensifying. one local resident told us before mortars were flying over their heads, now it is bullets. soldiers prepare trenches inside of the city. new defensive positions if the russians push forward. there will be sandbags with wood on top said valentine and three firing positions. on a bluff overlooking bakhmut, is a pilot that said they re up against troops, many of them convicted with the private military company vagner. we re fighting against soldiers brought to the slaughter, he said. these vagner guys have no choice. they re sentenced to death. and then the order comes to open
russian press it is being written about and reported on. so it s a very important moment. it would appear, precisely because of the brutality, that it would. with all these people who were killed and injured. so you would have to think that there would be more support. but i think the terrible arithmetic, the math that the ukrainians have to do, is in this area, if you have a fight like this, what do you defend, maybe when we were talking about soledar, the city that s not too far from bakhmut, these are the things that they have to decide. how much do you put into the fight, how much do you give up temporarily in order to protect your turf, because we re all talking about in the spring some type of offensive, russians actually talking about it and the ukrainians definitely are.
souls wander the streets, those who can t leave, won t leave, or have given up caring. i put some food on the fire, i chopped some wood, and decided to go out for some fresh air. this is my land, he says. i won t leave. the fighting echoes through the fog. as the russians seem to be gaining control of soledar north of here, in bakhmut the fighting seems to be intensifying. one local resident told us, where before motortars were flyg over their heads, now it s bullets. soldiers prepare trenches inside the city, new defensive positions if the russians push forward.