Ukrainian army admits to withdrawing from Soledar

On January 25, local time, a spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces admitted in an interview with AFP that after several months of fierce fighting, the Ukrainian Armed Forces left Soledar and retreated to pre- positions, but the spokesman declined to disclose the exact time of the retreat.

On January 13, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had taken control of Soledar. Subsequently, Ukrainian officials repeatedly stated that the fighting there was still continuing.

Extended reading

The Russian army revealed the key to victory after chewing off the "hard nut" Soledad

Since the Russian army captured the important town of Luhansk half a year ago After Lisichansk, there was a series of disgraceful defeats and setbacks. On the 13th, the Russian army finally announced a piece of news that made them proud. They completely liberated Soledar in Donetsk on the evening of the 12th, which was of great significance to the continued successful offensive operations in Donetsk.

Although many people do not know where Soledar is, and this town has never been listed among the important towns in previous analyses, this does not affect the Russian army's high evaluation of this result.

Will it be a turning point in the war between Russia and Ukraine?

According to a report by the Russian Satellite News Agency on the 13th, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the liberation of Soledar was completed on the evening of January 12 The work of the city is of great importance for the continued successful offensive operations on the Donetsk side.

“Controlling Soledar can cut off the supply route of Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, and then block and surround the remaining Ukrainian forces,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also disclosed the key link of the victory in the statement - the airborne troops completed a secret operation, attacked the Ukrainian positions, occupied the dominant highlands and blocked the city from the north and south. . The Russian Ministry of Defense stated: "In the past three days and nights alone, more than 700 Ukrainian soldiers were eliminated in the Soledar area and more than 300 pieces of military equipment were destroyed."

Previously, the Russian Ministry of Defense released news on the 11th. It said that Russian airborne troops blocked the urban area of ??Soledar from the north and south, and commandos launched a battle in the city.

Earlier, Prigozin, the founder of the Russian "Wagner" private military group, announced on the 10th that Soledad had been "liberated". On the 12th, he said again: "I once again confirmed that the territory of Soledar has been completely liberated from the Ukrainian army and has been cleared. Civilians have been evacuated from the city. The Russian army has eliminated 500 Ukrainians who were unwilling to surrender. Soldier."

Until not long ago, Soledar was only a link in Bakhmut's defense system and did not have a particularly important strategic significance. However, with the fierce progress of the recent war, the Russian media The ratings for it are getting higher and higher.

“The liberation of Soledar was an important turning point in the entire winter campaign,” the Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted the analysis of military observer Anton Lavrov as saying: “Today, the enemy has no strategy in any direction. The initiative, the momentum of their autumn offensive has completely disappeared. After receiving reinforcements, the Russian army has become stronger, and the operation and management of the army have also improved significantly."

"Izvestia" also said, according to experts. , during the liberation of Soledar, the Russian army used new attack tactics of small infantry units. They were effectively supported by artillery, aviation and attack drones, which managed to assist the fight and virtually isolate the battlefield, preventing large-scale reinforcements from the Ukrainian army.

As for the strategic significance of this victory, "Izvestia" stated that after the liberation of Soledar and the withdrawal from Severodonetsk and Lisichansk last summer, the Ukrainian armed forces continued to attack Altey. A new line of defense had been constructed between Movs and Seversk, which was now under threat.

"Artemovsk has been semi-encircled from the north and south, and it is obvious that the assault plan will be roughly the same. Artemovsk is a strategically more important city than Soledar. After that, it will be possible to talk about entering Kramatorsk and Slavyansk and completing the liberation of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” Anton Lavrov concluded.

Regarding the victory announced by the Russian army, mixed messages came from the West and Ukraine.

U.S. online media ACCESS reported that Ukraine denied Russia’s statement and said that the fighting in Soledar was still ongoing. And military analysts said the capture of Soledar would not immediately change the dynamics of the war in eastern Ukraine, although it would be a symbolic victory for Russia, which has suffered a series of setbacks in the past few months. The Institute for War Studies, a Washington-based think tank, said earlier this week that any capture of Soledad by Russian forces "is not a significant development and is unlikely to signal an imminent Russian siege of Bakhmut".

The Associated Press stated that Ukrainian authorities stated that the battle for Soledar is still ongoing. Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Mariyar said Moscow had "sent almost all its main forces" to ensure victory in Soledar, but Ukraine's fighters were "valiantly trying to hold the line." "This is a difficult phase of the war, but there is no doubt that we will win," Mallyal added.

The Associated Press also reported that the fall of Soledar would not mark "a development of major significance and is unlikely to herald an imminent Russian encirclement of Bakhmut." The American Institute for War Studies believes that Russia has "exaggerated the importance of Soledad", that it was only a small settlement and that the long and difficult fighting had exhausted the Russian army.

However, CNN reporters on the front line said that on the afternoon of the 13th, they witnessed the withdrawal of Ukrainian army troops 4 kilometers outside Soledar. But it said it appeared to be an organized evacuation, as the evacuating Ukrainian troops did not appear to be panicking.

Judging from the information coming from all parties, the Russian army has undoubtedly achieved a certain victory and gained some strategic initiative. Moreover, factors such as the improvement of Russian military tactics and the addition of personnel and weapons and equipment behind this victory may also bring victory in more battlefields.

However, the significance of this victory is currently unknown. After all, the Russian army captured Lisichansk last time and failed to pursue the victory. Instead, it fell into passivity. Moreover, in terms of importance, Soledad is not on the same level as the important towns such as Izyum, Bonliman, and Kherson that the Russian army has lost in the past few months. At most, the Russian army has cracked a hard nut, and more proof of results is needed to talk about turning points.