Russia said on Friday that its forces had taken control of the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar, a rare victory for Moscow after months of battlefield reversals, but Kyiv said its Troops are still fighting in the town.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the situation in Soledar, a small salt-mining town that has been under constant Russian attack for days.
Kyiv and the West have played down the town’s importance, saying Moscow sacrificed a wave of soldiers and mercenaries in a futile battle for the bomb-ravaged wasteland, sparking a wider war. Unlikely, unless heavy casualties have depleted the manpower on both sides. .
But the capture of the town takes on greater significance because, if confirmed, Moscow will have the trophy for one of the bloodiest campaigns of the war in the second half of 2022 after major battlefield setbacks. will
“The capture of Soledar was made possible by continuous enemy bombardment and artillery by army aviation, missile forces and a group of Russian forces,” Moscow’s Defense Ministry said.
He said capturing the town would make it possible to cut off Ukrainian supply routes to the larger nearby city of Bakhmut and trap the remaining Ukrainian forces there. Moscow has been trying to seize Bakhmut for months.
But Serhii Chirivati, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Military Command, told Reuters by telephone that Soledar had not been captured: “Our units are there, the town is not under Russian control.”
CNN said on its website that a reporting team just outside the city heard mortar and rocket fire Friday afternoon and saw Ukrainian forces moving troops into what was an orderly pullback. .
‘Mince Making Machine’
A Ukrainian officer in the area, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, also told Reuters by telephone that the Russians had not fully captured the town.
“The artillery fire last night was like hell, from both sides. From what I know, our guys have managed to get out of some parts (of Soledar) in an orderly manner and now the (attacking) group is countering. are attacking, but we are still holding the city.”
Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday that more than 500 civilians, including 15 children, are trapped in Soledar.
In a video address overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the two units in Soledar, saying they were “holding their position and inflicting considerable damage on the enemy.” He did not give further details.
With Ukrainian forces pushing Russia into humiliating retreats for the second half of 2022, the front lines have barely abated over the past two months. Meanwhile, the battles around Bakhmut and Soledar became what both sides called a “meat grinder” – a brutal war that claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers.
Kyiv’s Western allies see it as a battle of marginal gains on a front where neither side can make major advances, a sideshow to the battles north and south, where Ukraine hopes to advance beyond Russian lines. Is.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House, “Even if both Bakhmut and Solidar fall into the hands of the Russians, it will have no strategic impact on the war,” and it is certain to stop. do not have. Ukrainian or slow them down.
Inside Russia, a victory in Soledar could boost ultra-nationalist mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner Group of mercenary fighters, including convicts recruited from prison with promises of amnesty, focused on fighting in the region. Who is He is caught because the regular army has taken credit for the Solider war without mentioning its fighters.
“They constantly try to steal the victory from Wagner PMC (Private Military Company) and talk about the presence of other unknown people only to diminish Wagner’s merits,” he complained.
New weapons
The new year has brought significant promises of additional Western weapons to Ukraine, which is seeking armor to mount in mechanized battles against Russian tanks.
Major new weapons announcements are likely next week, when US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hosts defense chiefs from other allies at a US air base in Germany for a meeting of the Contact Group on Assistance to Ukraine. will
Last week, France, Germany and the United States pledged to send armored fighting vehicles. Discussions this week have focused on the supply of main battle tanks, a key potential upgrade for Kyiv.
On Friday, Finland pledged with Poland to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine, apparently as part of a Western alliance to supply them.
This requires permission from Berlin, which has so far been reluctant but has recently signaled its willingness to grant permission. A German government spokesman said on Friday that Berlin had not yet received a formal request for permission to re-export the tanks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the offensive in February. 24, stating that Kyiv’s ties to the West threatened Russia’s security, and since then Russia has claimed annexation of four Ukrainian provinces. Ukraine and its allies have called it an unprovoked war to seize territory, and Kyiv says it will fight until it regains all its land.