The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said yesterday that Russia has sent more troops to the area. After consulting with the army command, Zelensky announced that Kiev is also sending more people and equipment to the region. In his daily video speech yesterday, Zelensky said that Ukrainian forces are capable of holding their positions in Soledar and even inflicting significant losses on the Russians.
Salt and chalk mine
“The question is whether you can see a major breakthrough in it,” says Peter Wijninga of the Center for Strategic Studies in The Hague. “There are talks of two mines in Soledar, one for gypsum and one for salt, with huge underground ramifications. It is rumored very well that they could infiltrate behind Ukrainian lines with it. But all this was done to increase the importance of that city a little.’
In any case, according to Wijninga, control of the city will be good for Russian morale. “Then the Russians finally have a boost. They’ll have to draw from there to continue, but the question is whether it’s going to be that easy,” he points out. According to Wijninga, on the west side of Soledar and Bachmoet, the Ukrainians dug in “enormously, erected huge positions and sent reinforcements there as well”. “Some observers say it could be a Pyrrhic victory, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
Soledar, Bachmut
Both sides suffered heavy losses in the battle for Soledar and Major Bachmut. The Kremlin yesterday praised the “heroic” actions of Russian troops in Soledar and elsewhere. A new commander had been appointed a day earlier to lead military operations in Ukraine, which observers say is the result of battlefield problems.
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From the Russian point of view, the conquest of the area would be an important step in taking control of the entire eastern region of Donbass, as envisaged by the Kremlin. The British Defense Ministry expects Russia to deploy paratroopers.