Russia says its forces had taken control of the salt-mining town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, claiming to have made its first big battlefield gain after half a year of military setbacks.
Key points:
- Ukranians and Russians have suffered heavy losses in the battle for Soledar
- Officials say more than 500 civilians are trapped inside the town, including 15 children
- US officials say a Russian victory in Soledar or nearby Bakhmut would mean little for the overall trajectory of the war
Russian forces captured the town, long the focus of heavy fighting and bombardment, on Thursday evening local time, the defence ministry said.
It said this would make it possible to cut off Ukrainian supply routes to the larger town of Bakhmut, to the south-west, and trap remaining Ukrainian forces there.
Reuters was not able to immediately verify Russia’s claim, which came after days of silence from the ministry about the fate of the town.
The head of Russian mercenary group Wagner had said on Wednesday that his forces had achieved the complete “liberation” of the mining town of Soledar, a claim denied by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said fighting continued.
“The capture of Soledar was made possible by the constant bombardment of the enemy by assault and army aviation, missile forces and artillery of a grouping of Russian forces,” Moscow’s defence ministry said.
Ukraine said earlier on Friday that its forces were still holding out in Soledar after a “hot” night of fighting, in what has become one of the bloodiest battlefields of the entire war.
Both sides have endured heavy losses in the battle for the small town.
Moscow has been seeking its first big battlefield gain after half a year of humiliating retreats.
Kyiv says Russia was throwing wave upon wave of soldiers into a pointless fight for a bombed-out wasteland.
Until Thursday, Russia’s defence ministry had said little about the situation there, while a Russian-installed local official said earlier on Thursday there were still pockets of resistance.
“The night in Soledar was hot, battles continued,” Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
“The enemy threw almost all the main forces in the direction of Donetsk and maintains a high intensity of offensive. Our fighters are bravely trying to maintain the defence,” she said, referring to the Donetsk region which includes Soledar.
“This is a difficult phase of the war, but we will win. There is no doubt.”
Outside Soledar, Ukrainian soldiers were dug into well-fortified trenches in the wintry woods. Explosions echoed in the distance.
A 24-year-old soldier using the call-sign BUK told Reuters the intensity of shelling had risen by around 70 per cent, but forces were still holding their positions.
“The situation is difficult but stable. We’re holding back the enemy … we’re fighting back.”
Reuters could not verify the situation inside the town, which had around 10,000 residents before the war. Ukrainian officials say more than 500 civilians are trapped inside, including 15 children.
In an overnight video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked two units in Soledar he said were “holding their positions and inflicting significant losses on the enemy.”
He did not give more details.
Soledar, Bakhmut battles a ‘meat grinder’
The front lines in Ukraine have barely budged for two months since Russia’s last big retreat in the south.
Ukraine is re-arming for a planned push to drive Russian forces out of more territory, while Russia is reinforcing to keep seized land.
Meanwhile, the battles for Soledar and the bigger nearby city of Bakhmut have become what both sides call a “meat grinder” — a brutal war of attrition claiming the lives of thousands of soldiers they both need for decisive battles ahead.
US officials said a Russian victory in Soledar, or even in nearby Bakhmut, a city 10 times the size where the Russians have so far been repelled, would mean little for the overall trajectory of the war.
“Even if both Bakhmut and Soledar fall to the Russians, it’s not going to have a strategic impact on the war itself,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House, “and it certainly isn’t going to stop the Ukrainians or slow them down.”
Oleksandr Kovalenko, an analyst at Ukraine’s Information Resistance Military-political group, said the fighting for Soledar had eased pressure on Bakhmut.
“Soledar has already fulfilled its main role — drawing off a large amount of Russian resources and destroying them,” he said on the nv.ua media website.
The new year has brought important pledges of extra Western weapons for Ukraine, which is seeking armour to mount mechanised battles against Russian tanks.
Last week, France, Germany and the United States pledged to send armoured fighting vehicles.
In recent days, the focus has been on main battle tanks, which Western countries have yet to provide.
Poland has promised to send German-made Leopard tanks as part of a Western coalition. That requires the permission of Berlin, which has so far been hesitant but has lately signalled a willingness to allow it as part of a coordinated aid plan.
Mr Putin launched the invasion on February 24, saying Kyiv’s ties with the West threatened Russia’s security. Ukraine and its allies call it an unprovoked war to seize territory.
Reuters