The battle for the city solderin the east of Ukraineis one of the bloodiest since the start of Russia’s offensive, which is being used to the full to score a victory following several setbacks.
Russia has ensured that the fate of the city of solder It is lying down although it admitted that several hundred Ukrainian soldiers still offer resistance in the center of that town, practically reduced to ruins following months of bombardments.
For its part, the kyiv military command denies that the city, considered one of the bulwarks of the Ukrainian defensive lines in that sector of the Donbas front, has fallen under the control of Russia.
Here are five facts regarding this latest battle, which is at the center of attention in this new stage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
salt mines
Before the conflict, solder It was a small town of regarding 10,000 inhabitants, known for its salt mines, the largest in Europe. Its name, precisely, means “the gift of salt” in Ukrainian and Russian.
Located in the Donetsk region, which Moscow claims to have annexed, Soledar is regarding 15 km northeast of Bakhmut, a major city that the Russians have been trying to take for months.
Beneath the salt galleries there are 200 kilometers of underground galleries, which can represent a tactical advantage in times of war.
A “bloody” battle
Russia y Ukraine They agree that the fighting in Soledar is being especially tough.
“Everything that is happening today in Bakhmut or solder It is the bloodiest scene of this war,” Mikhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, told AFP in an interview on Wednesday.
“A lot of blood, a lot of artillery duels, a lot of contact combat, especially today in solder“, he claimed.
Even the Kremlin, usually low-key when it comes to losses, admitted that the Russians had paid “quite a heavy price” to advance on Soledar.
Russian mercenaries
The battle of Bakhmut, in which the struggle for solder It is one more chapter, it is being liberated from the Russian side mainly by the mercenaries of the Wagner paramilitary group, led by a businessman close to the Kremlin, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The assault on solder es “exclusive” work of Wagner’s mensaid Prigozhin, who according to various analysts is seeking to strengthen his political stature in Russia scoring military victories in the Ukraine.
Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons in recent months to recruit prisoners, promising high salaries and amnesty following a certain amount of time fighting.
The military analyst Anatoli Khramchijin affirms that Wagner’s role in Ukraine is “quite important” and that the group has “a number of important advantages” over the Russian regular army: “better training and at the same time less formalities and less bureaucracy”.
Another military analyst who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals believes that while the role of mercenaries is “important” in Ukraine, it is not “decisive” either.
Rivalry
Beyond the strictly military, the combats for the control of solder and Bakhmut have highlighted the bitter rivalry that, according to many analysts, exists between Wagner and the Russian regular army.
On Wednesday, Prigozhin announced that his group controlled Soledar, only to be later denied by the Russian Defense Ministry. Even the Kremlin asked “not to rush” to claim victory.
For Jramchijin, it is “obvious” that Wagner and the Ministry of Defense compete in Ukraineaccording to the forces and means available to the paramilitary organization.
Vasily Kashin, another analyst, believes that both sides “cooperate” despite their rivalry.
“They can’t do things independently, they are part of the same force,” he emphasizes.
resume victories
Although analysts disagree on the strategic importance of solderno one doubts that if necessary the Russian authorities will take the opportunity to claim an important victoryfollowing having suffered notorious setbacks.
For months now, Russian forces have been trying to take Bakhmut, sending in waves of soldiers and relentlessly shelling the Ukrainian city with their artillery.
“Every win is important, especially since there have been no wins for a while now,” said Khramchijin. “Strategically, (the capture of Soledar) might make things easier in Bakhmut,” he adds.
The analyst who requested anonymity believes that the decision-making solder it would be “a tactical victory with little strategic value” that would have “little impact on the overall situation” of the offensive.
