According to journalists, in the past few weeks in Soledar there have been street battles with “Wagnerites”, who attacked in small detachments of 4-8 people. The head of the OP Andrey Yermak confirmed that there are Russians in the city and that there are street fights. According to him, Soledar has become the Battle of Verdun in the 21st century. In turn, the fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ask not to spread the wave of demoralization.
Ukrainian units are still in the Soledar area, informs CNN, citing a Ukrainian soldier stationed in Bakhmut.
Paratroopers from the 77th and 46th brigades are still in the western part of Soledar, said Taras Berezovets, captain of the First Special Forces Brigade of Ukraine.
According to him, in the military sense, Soledar is not so important, since the city is completely destroyed by Russian shelling.
“There is not a single building that survived Russian shelling,” he explained.
At the same time, the morale of the fighters on the front line remains high. He also explained that, in his opinion, the decision to retreat could be made in the coming days.
The task of the Ukrainian units is to hold out as long as possible and destroy as many mercenaries from the Wagner Group as possible.
The military said that in the past few weeks there had been street battles with “Wagnerites”, who attacked in small detachments of 4-8 people.
A possible withdrawal from Soledar will not prevent Ukrainian forces from resupplying troops in Bakhmut, Berezovets said, as the main roads leading into the city remain under Ukrainian control and Ukrainian aircraft attacked Russian positions near the city on Friday.
However, in their previous publications, CNN may have referred to words of a fake fighter of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Soledar.
The information published by the news agency from a serviceman who is presumably in the Bakhmut direction resembles a report by the Wagner Group, which claims that Soledar is already under the full control of the RF Armed Forces.
OP’s statement
Head of the OP Andrey Yermak explainedthat the situation in the city is “very difficult” and called Soledar the Battle of Verdun of the 21st century.
“Our fighters manage to hold their ground,” he said in an interview with Le Monde.
“The Russians release criminals from prisons who die as soon as they get to the front,” Yermak explained.
According to him, the bodies of the dead Russians are left in place, the losses of manpower on the Russian side are “many, much more than ours.”
“We have a human mass that is constantly attacking, attacking and attacking. Soledar is a place of street battles where neither side controls the city,” he added.
The opinion of the fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
In turn, the commander of a separate tactical aerial reconnaissance group “SARG Ptakhi Madyar” urged not to believe enemy propaganda and not to replicate the messages of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, since fighting continues for the city of Soledar. The commander showed a video filmed on the outskirts of the city.
According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on the contrary, forced the enemy to retreat with significant forces, although the Russians continue their attempts to storm the city. All this is filmed and documented. He also urged not to spread the wave of demoralization.
Recall that the Special Operations Forces showed assault on the positions of the Russian troops from the first person. The operators found enemy observation posts and machine-gun crew. The fighters decided to strike at the position of the enemy.
Previously Focus reported that NYT journalists revealed reasons for the transfer of Western tanks to Ukraine and other weapons: the RF Armed Forces are preparing a new offensive.
