Ukraine announced repulse of Russian offensive on Soledar
2023.01.13 04:50
Ukraine announced repulse of Russian offensive on Soledar
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – After a “hot” night of fighting in what has become one of the bloodiest battlefields of the entire war, Ukraine said on Friday that its forces were still holding out in the eastern salt mining town of Soledar.
In the battle for the small town, both sides have lost a lot. After a half-year of humiliating retreats, Moscow is looking for its first significant victory on the battlefield. According to Kyiv, Russia is sending swarms of soldiers into a futile struggle for a bombed-out wasteland.
A ally of President Vladimir Putin’s Wagner ultra-nationalist mercenary company has claimed to have taken the town. But Russia’s defense ministry hasn’t said much about the situation, and a local official who was installed by Russia said on Thursday that there are still areas of resistance.
On the messaging app Telegram, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar wrote, “The night in Soledar was hot, battles continued.”
“The adversary maintains a high intensity of offensive and has thrown nearly all major forces in the direction of Donetsk. She referred to the Donetsk region, which includes Soledar, and said, “Our fighters are bravely trying to maintain the defense.”
“We will prevail in this difficult phase of the war. There is no ambiguity.”
In the chilly woods outside of Soledar, Ukrainian soldiers dug well-defended trenches. The distant echoed of explosions.
According to a soldier of 24 years old who goes by the call sign BUK, the level of shelling had increased by approximately 70%, but the forces were still in their positions.
“The situation is stable but difficult. We are retaliating against the adversary by holding them back.
Reuters was unable to confirm the state of affairs within the town, which had approximately 10,000 residents prior to the war. More than 500 civilians, including 15 children, are said to be trapped inside, according to Ukrainian officials.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, thanked two units in Soledar for “holding their positions and inflicting significant losses on the enemy” in an overnight video address. He didn’t go into any more detail.
Since Russia’s most recent significant retreat in the south, the front lines in Ukraine have barely moved in two months. Russia is bolstering to maintain control of seized territory, while Ukraine is re-arming for a planned push to drive Russian forces out of additional territory.
In the meantime, the battles for Soledar and Bakhmut, a larger city nearby, have developed into what both sides refer to as a “meat grinder,” a brutal war of attrition that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of soldiers, which both sides require for upcoming battles that will be decisive.
According to American officials, a Russian victory in Soledar or even nearby Bakhmut, a ten-times larger city where the Russians have so far been defeated, would have little effect on the war’s overall trajectory.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the United States National Security Council, stated, “Even if both Bakhmut and Soledar fall to the Russians, it’s not going to have a strategic impact on the war itself.” “And it certainly isn’t going to stop the Ukrainians or slow them down,” she told reporters at the White House.
According to analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko of the Information Resistance Military-Political group in Ukraine, Bakhmut has been under less pressure as a result of the battle for Soledar.
On the nv.ua media website, he stated, “Soledar has already fulfilled its main role — drawing off a large amount of Russian resources and destroying them.”
Ukraine, which is looking for armor to fight mechanized battles against Russian tanks, has received significant pledges of additional Western weapons in the new year. The United States, France, and Germany all made a promise to send armored fighting vehicles last week.
Main battle tanks, which Western nations have yet to supply, have recently received the most attention. As part of a Western coalition, Poland has promised to send German-made Leopard tanks. That requires Berlin’s permission, which it has previously been reluctant to grant but has recently indicated that it is willing to do so as part of a coordinated aid plan.
On February 24, Putin ordered the invasion, claiming that Kyiv’s ties to the West threatened Russia’s safety. It is referred to as an unprovoked war to seize territory by Ukraine and its allies.
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