Latest Developments in Ukraine: Jan. 25

For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine. All times EST. 6:30 a.m.: Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the eastern town of Soledar in the Donetsk region, military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi was cited as saying by Ukraine's state broadcaster on Wednesday.  "(Our forces) fulfilled their main task: not allowing the enemy to systematically breakthrough in the Donetsk direction," Cherevatyi was quoted as saying.  His remarks were the first Ukrainian confirmation of Soledar's capture by Russian forces. Moscow claimed control of the small salt-mining town more than a week ago.  6 a.m.: The French presidency on Wednesday welcomed Berlin's decision to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and allow other states to do the same in support of the country's fight against Russia. "France welcomes the German decision, which extends and amplifies the support we have provided with the delivery of the AMX10 RC," the Elysee said in a statement, referring to a France-made lighter combat vehicle which Paris is also aiming to send to Ukraine. Below are other world leaders' reactions to Germany's decision:     5:42 a.m.: Germany will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and approve their re-export from partner countries, Reuters reported German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit as saying in a statement on Wednesday. The goal was to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, the statement said, adding Germany would in a first step provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from military stocks. Training of Ukrainian troops in Germany will begin soon, and Germany will also provide logistics and ammunition, it said. 5:30 a.m.: The Ukrainian military conceded to Agence France-Presse Wednesday that its troops had pulled out of the battle-scarred town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region, which Russian forces said they captured earlier this month. "After months of heavy fighting, including over the past weeks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine left (Soledar) and retreated along the outskirts to pre-prepared positions," said military spokesman Sergiy Cherevaty. 5 a.m.: According to Agence France-Presse, the Kremlin said Wednesday that if Western countries supply Ukraine with heavy tanks they will be destroyed on the battlefield, as Kyiv awaits a decision from Berlin on deliveries of Leopard 2 tanks. "Technologically, this is a failed plan. This is an overestimation of the potential that this will add to the Ukrainian army. These tanks burn like all the rest. They are just very expensive," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. 4:45 a.m.: Wednesday morning, Reuters posted a running list of countries who have promised or are poised to promise Ukraine tanks: The United States: U.S. officials say Washington is poised to send dozens of its M1 Abrams battle tank, reversing its previous position. The tank has a 120 mm smooth bore gun. Germany: Sources say German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send Leopard 2 battle tanks, a German-built vehicle with a 120 mm smooth bore gun that is one of the most widely used in the West. He will also allow other countries to send theirs, they say. Britain: The British government announced on January 14 that it would send its a squadron, or 14, of its Challenger 2 battle tanks, which has a 120 mm rifled gun. Poland: Warsaw has said it is ready to send up to 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks and has been pressing Berlin to approve the move. A source said Poland had submitted a request to Germany, which must approve re-export requests of the German-built vehicle. Norway: The Norwegian government is considering whether to send some of its Leopard tanks, newspapers reported. Finland: The Finnish government has said it could donate a small number of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if a wider group of European nations also decided to do so but said it would depend on Berlin's approval. 4:15 a.m.: The Ukrainian Red Cross is preparing for more aid to the civil population in the country's war-plagued zones in light of a possible new Russian offensive, Reuters reported citing the organization's general secretary. "Everyone expects some intensification of the fighting," Maksym Dotsenko told Reuters during a visit to the German capital Berlin. Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February last year, around 11 million people have fled their homes, with 7 million internally displaced and four million refugees in neighboring states. The Red Cross, Ukraine's biggest civil organization, has no access to Russian-occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine, but is operating in the rest of the country. The organization has increased its staff to 1,500 employees from 400 before the war and more than doubled the number of volunteer workers, Dotsenko said. Five of its volunteers have died in the conflict, Dotsenko reported, one of them during Russian shelling of the city of Kherson in the south. "I cannot say that all the needs are covered. But I can say that in general the situation is under control," Dotsenko said. The Red Cross, he said, is ready to provide generators to hospitals and other places in case of more Russian attacks on critical infrastructure. "Of course, we need more financial support," he added, but there was no need for donations of clothing. Front lines in the war, which stretch more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) through eastern and southern Ukraine, have been largely frozen in place for two months despite heavy losses on both sides, but both Russia and Ukraine are widely believed to be planning new offensives. 3:30 a.m.: Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose country is hosting this year's Group of Seven meeting, said Wednesday he is considering visiting Ukraine, after an invitation from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Agence France-Presse reported. "Nothing has been decided at this time regarding my visit to Ukraine," he told parliament. "I will consider this in light of various circumstances and conditions," he added, without specifying further. Tokyo has worked in lockstep with its G-7 allies to sanction Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and boost support to Kyiv, even taking the rare step of offering refuge to those fleeing the conflict. While Kishida has spoken to Zelenskyy several times, they have not met in person. The Ukrainian leader invited his Japanese counterpart to visit during a call on January 6. The trip would be the first time in the post-war period that a Japanese prime minister has visited a country during an active conflict. 3 a.m.: Reuters reported Wednesday that the Russian Defense Ministry has said the frigate Admiral Gorshkov tested its strike capabilities in the western Atlantic Ocean. In a statement, the ministry said the frigate had run a computer simulation on hypersonic Zircon missiles. Zircon missiles have a range of 900 kilometers (560 miles) and can travel at several times the speed of sound, making it difficult to defend against them. The statement did not say the frigate had launched a missile. Tensions between the West and Russia have reached the highest point in years due to the conflict in Ukraine. Russian officials have on several occasions suggested Russia might use its nuclear arsenal, the world's largest, if it feels threatened by Western support for Ukraine. 2:25 a.m.:   1:45 a.m.: The United States has determined that some Chinese companies are providing non-lethal assistance to Russia for its war in Ukraine and officials are noting their concern to the Chinese government, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "what we're seeing is non-lethal military assistance and economic support that stops short of wholesale sanctions evasion." The source did not elaborate, and Reuters could not independently verify this account. The United States has warned the Chinese government of consequences should China provide weaponry to Russia for use against Ukraine. U.S. officials view the current activity as concerning and believe it is "a significantly scaled-down version of the PRC’s (Peoples Republic of China) initial plan, which was to sell lethal weapons systems for use on the battlefield," the source said. It is unclear if the Chinese government is aware of the activity, the source said. U.S. officials are reaching out to Chinese authorities through diplomatic channels, the source said. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington has been very clear with China about the implications of providing material to support Russia's war in Ukraine, though he declined to confirm Tuesday's reports. 1:05 a.m.: The Norwegian government is considering whether to send some of its German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Reuters cited Oslo-based newspapers Aftenposten and Dagens Naeringsliv as reporting late on Tuesday. No decision to send the heavy battle tanks has yet been made, according to each of the papers, quoting anonymous sources familiar with the deliberation. NATO member Norway, which itself borders Russia, may contribute either four or eight of the country's 36 Leopard 2 tanks, according to Dagens Naeringsliv. 12:30 a.m.:   12:01 a.m.: Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny exhibited a replica of his cell outside the Moscow embassy in Berlin on Tuesday, an Agence France-Presse journalist reported. Passersby can enter the cell, about 3 meters long and 2 meters wide, a replica of the one where the opponent is held in a high security prison in Russia. "I was surprised that the door was closed, and I felt a little uncomfortable," said Anya Nikolaeva, 26, who visited the replica, placed in front of the embassy near the Brandenburg Gate. "I was happy to know that it was going to end soon," said Nikolaeva, who is from Saint Petersburg and participated to show her support for Navalny. The 46-year-old opponent of Vladimir Putin's regime is jailed outside the town of Vladimir, about 230 kilometers east of Moscow, after a conviction for embezzlement, one of several judgments that Navalny denounced as an attempt to silence him. "People are very destabilized and impressed by the conditions in which Alexey Navalny currently finds himself," according to Eugene Nasyrov, 42, volunteer in charge of the cell. The facility is open 24 hours a day and will operate until February 23, the eve of the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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