The US Department of Defense has not confirmed that Soledar, Donetsk region, has been captured by Russian invaders.
Heavy fighting continues around Soledar. According to one of the experts, both sides are losing several hundred people every day in the battle for Soledar, and the consumption of ammunition is enormous. “This is one of the biggest and fiercest conflicts on the European continent since World War II,” said Oleksandr Krayev of the Ukrainian Prism foreign policy group.
The Ukrainian military command in the coming days may make some decisions on Soledar, said Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces. According to him, we are talking about a decision that will strengthen our defenses, not lose many personnel and at the same time a strong blow to the enemy.
Importance of the city
Although the so-called “chef” of Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has repeatedly stated that the mercenaries of the Wagner group under his leadership captured Soledar, neither the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, nor the Russian Ministry of Defense, or the independent observers. , nor the Pentagon confirms these words.
“We see heavy and intense fighting around Soledar, as well as Bakhmut, which is quite close. We cannot confirm any reports that Soledar has been taken by Russian forces … But we know that the Ukrainians are continue the operation around Soledar and further provide combat,” said General Patrick Ryder, spokesman for the US Department of Defense.
Military expert Sergei Zgurets said that Soledar is important from the point of view of two areas: control of the supply line from Seversk to Bakhmut and, in fact, it is the northern part of the defense of Bakhmut itself.
“In fact, there is an understanding that we must continue to hold the line of defense as long as conditions allow. We do not know the nature of these conditions now, because we do not have the full amount of information. But, if accepted we have the worst scenario, according to which we will withdraw the troops, then we will withdraw them to a new line of defense, which will pass along the highway between Soledar and Seversk, and then the dominant height will begin there, if where it is possible to stop the advance of the enemy, ” believes Zgurets.
Balance is needed
Nikolai Sungurovsky, director of military programs at the Razumkov Center, states that, according to the laws of war, if the aggressor is not rejected now, it can trigger processes that will help develop its military potential.
“On the other hand, if we overdo it with the participation of our own forces, we may also suffer some losses, which will affect the future ratio of our potentials and that of the Russian Federation. Therefore, a certain balance must be maintained here , depending on the real situation at the front, which only the military and political leadership knows. This is a difficult decision, but we are not looking for easy ways, so we will win with what we have. In addition, the decision depends not only on Ukraine, but also on how quickly we receive help. Therefore, not everything depends on us. Therefore, it is very difficult to maintain this balance, but it is necessary as much as possible, “stressed expert.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.