A small town at the heart of the war in Ukraine. Soledar, in eastern Ukraine, has been the scene of heavy fighting for several months. The battle that took place there was one of the bloodiest since the start of the Moscow offensive. The Russians throw all their forces there in the hope of regaining victory after several setbacks.
• The city defended despite “a difficult situation”
Fights “relentless” rage with Russian forces in and around Soledar and the Ukrainian army defends the town despite “a difficult situation” on the spot, said this Thursday, January 12 the Deputy Minister of Defense Ganna Maliar.
“The fiercest and most violent fighting continues today in the Soledar area”, she said at a press conference. According to her, “despite a difficult situation, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting tirelessly”.
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On Wednesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that fighting was continuing in the small town of around 10,000 pre-war inhabitants – now completely destroyed – and that the front in the region “held”.
“Russia is sending thousands of its citizens to the slaughterhouse, but we are holding on”hammered this Thursday Ganna Maliar, welcoming “resilience and heroism” Ukrainian forces engaged in this violent battle which has been going on for several months.
• “The bloodiest scenario of this war”
Russia and Ukraine said the fighting in Soledar was particularly fierce. “Everything that is happening today towards Bakhmout or Soledar is the bloodiest scenario of this war”declared Wednesday Mykhaïlo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian presidency. “A lot of blood, a lot of artillery duels, a lot of close combat, especially in Soledar”, he listed. kyiv did not quantify its men killed and wounded in the battle of Soledar and Bakhmout, the big city of the area, but Mykhailo Podoliak deplored “significant losses”.
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Without giving figures, Ganna Maliar indicated this Thursday that the Russian troops which fight in Soledar “suffer heavy losses”, “trying unsuccessfully to break through our defense”. “The outskirts of the city today are strewn with the bodies of (Vladimir) Putin’s slain soldiers”she told reporters.
Even the Kremlin, usually tight-lipped about military casualties, admitted that the Russians had paid a “pretty high price” to advance to Soledar.
• Russian mercenaries led by Wagner
The battle for Bakhmout, of which that of Soledar is only a part, is mainly fought, on the Russian side, by the mercenaries of the paramilitary group Wagner, led by a renowned businessman close to the Kremlin, Evguéni Prigojine. The Assault on Soledar is “exclusively” led by Wagner’s men, he said, suspected by analysts of wanting to strengthen his political stature in Russia through military successes in Ukraine.
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For military analyst Anatoly Khramchikhine, Wagner’s role in Ukraine is ” rather important “ and the group has a “a number of important advantages” compared to the Russian regular army: “better training and at the same time less (administrative) formalities and bureaucracy”.
Another military analyst, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, believes that while the role of mercenaries and ” important “ on the ground in Ukraine, however, it is not “decisive”.
• The paramilitaries and the Russian army in competition
Beyond the military aspects, the battles for Soledar and Bakhmout have also exposed the bitter rivalry which, according to many analysts, exists between Wagner and the regular Russian army.
On Wednesday, Yevgeni Prigojine announced that his group controlled Soledar, before being denied by the Russian Ministry of Defense, citing fighting still ongoing. Even the Kremlin called for not ” hurry “ to declare victory.
For the military analyst Anatoly Khramchikhine, it was ” obvious “ that Wagner and the Ministry of Defense would be in competition in Ukraine, given the magnitude of the forces and means available to the paramilitary group.
Vassily Kashin, another analyst, stresses, however, that the two camps “cooperate” despite their rivalry. “They cannot do things independently, they are part of the same force”he said.
• An important victory to claim for the Russians
If analysts dispute the strategic importance of Soledar, there is no doubt that the Russian authorities will seize the opportunity to claim an important victory, after suffering spectacular setbacks.
Russian forces have been desperately seeking for months to take Bakhmout, sending waves of soldiers impaling themselves on the Ukrainian defenses and constantly pounding the city with artillery.
“Any win is important, especially because there hasn’t been a win for a while”underlines Anatoli Khramchikhine speaking of Soledar. “Strategically, it could make things easier for Bakhmout”he adds.
The analyst who requested anonymity believes that taking Soledar would be “a tactical victory with little strategic value”. “It will have little impact on the overall situation” on the ground, he also advances.
