Fighting in the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Soledar is still raging, although the Wagner group claims they have already taken control of the city. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry denies it and claims that more troops have been sent to the city.
Colonel Han Bouwmeester, an associate professor of military strategy at the Dutch Defense Academy, notes that “intelligence channels indicate that the city has been largely occupied”. “But the mining complex, which is northwest of the city, is still fiercely contested.” The mining complex is important for the two countries. The acquisition would be particularly beneficial for Russia, Bouwmeester says. “Then Russia will have an arms cache that cannot be directly targeted by Ukrainian shells.”
Also, according to Bouwmeester, “an underground encirclement can be made on Soledar” by the corridor system. “If Soledar is lost, the Ukrainians could take the city back from below.” The colonel compares the battle for the city with the battle for Mariupol. “The city had already fallen, but the Azovstal factory not yet. There the fighters of Ukraine resisted for weeks».
Bouwmeester “wouldn’t be surprised” if the battle for Soledar continued like this. “We are moving towards that situation.”
Source: BNR
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