Ukrainian and Russian officials said fierce fighting raged on Monday around the hotly contested city of Bakhmut, with conflicting claims swirling around potential Russian advances on a key front in eastern Ukraine.
Russian forces have sought to capture Bakhmut since the summer, even while suffering significant territorial losses elsewhere in Ukraine. Like the city became the focus of one of the bloodiest campaigns of the war, “Hold Bakhmut” has emerged as a rallying call in Ukraine. The Russian army fought to besiege Bakhmut by gaining control of nearby towns and villages, including Soledar, which lay along the front line, about 6 miles to the northeast.
But as the battle for Soledar dragged on, Ukrainian forces dug defensive positions in the area. And analysts say that even if it falls into the hands of Russian forces, the fall of Bakhmut will not necessarily follow. As the fighting in the east narrowed to smaller pieces of territory and Ukraine pledge more troops to defend important citieshard to win every mile of land.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based research group, said: “Recent Russian interests in Soledar do not signal an impending siege of Bakhmut, contrary to the claims of other states. Russian sources”. speak last weekend. It called talk about Russia’s siege of Bakhmut “bizarre,” given Moscow’s slow pace of advance and Ukraine’s defensive prowess.
On Monday morning, pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine announced that they had captured Bakhmutske, a village northeast of Bakhmut and adjacent to Soledar. A Telegram channel affiliated with the Donetsk People’s Republic, a Russian proxy entity, posted a statement claiming that the move would allow the Russian military to “gain a foothold on Soledar’s side”.
The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Colonel Oleksandr Syrsky, said that fighters from Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group – which had been leading Moscow’s campaign for Bakhmut for months – had been trying to strike Soledar since many directions but was pushed back. Late on Monday, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, Hanna Maliar, said that “fierce battles” were raging in Soledar.
“After the failed attempt to capture Soledar and retreat, the enemy regrouped, replenished losses, redeployed additional assault units, changed tactics and launched an offensive,” she said. strong attack. in a Telegram postAt the same time, it added that Ukrainian forces are “bravely defending every inch of the land”.
If Russian forces capture Soledar, it will be their most significant advance in Ukraine in months. On Monday, several Russian bloggers supported the invasion — an influential group that closely follows the war — trumpet what they say will be the imminent collapse of the Ukrainian front lines around Soledar and Bakhmut. Ukraine’s days in Soledar “have been numbered,” said Yuri Podolyaka, a popular blogger, wrote in a post on Telegram, the social messaging app.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, warning last week resisted drawing conclusions, saying his team would be the first to make a public announcement if Soledar had been arrested. On Monday, he emphasize that his forces were the ones fighting to take Soledar – a remark intended to highlight the difference with Russia’s regular army, which had recently faced defeats on multiple fronts in war – and participated in “fierce battles for the city administration building.”
In his nightly address on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said “Soledar is holding out,” but he acknowledged the difficulties Ukraine’s military faces fighting in the area he calls ” one of the bloodiest places on the front lines.”
“Bakhmut is standing firm against all obstacles,” he said. “And although much of the city was destroyed by Russian attacks, our fighters repelled continued attempts to target Russian attacks there.”
Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Thomas Gibbons-Neff contribution report.
