Nicolas Tonev, edited by Gauthier Delomez
The small town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine has been plagued by heavy fighting between Ukrainian forces and the Russian army in recent days. Moscow also claimed to have taken control of it on Friday, while kyiv denies it. In reality, the loss of this city of 10,000 inhabitants would then jeopardize the control of Donbass.
A merciless battle, which some compare to that of Verdun during the First World War. Soledar, a small town of 10,000 inhabitants in eastern Ukraine, is the scene of fierce fighting between Ukrainian forces and the Russian army. This Friday, Russia claims to have taken control, which kyiv denies by claiming that these fights were continuing. In reality, Soledar is a city with high stakes for both sides.
First for Ukraine, where we must avoid talking about defeat and for Russia, where we must finally talk about victory. It is for this reason that Moscow sent thousands of men, soldiers or militiamen of Wagner, into battle, with enormous losses.
Presence of a salt mine nearby
The militia claimed victory very quickly at Soledar before the Russian army, with the particular interest of reimbursing themselves for their efforts thanks to the salt mines. In Ukraine as in Africa, the group of mercenaries is paid on the beast. In Mali and the Central African Republic, it is with gold. This time it will be salt. This is the reason why Evguéni Prigojine, owner of Wagner, poses in the galleries of the mine as if he were the new boss.
Militarily and strategically, the capture of Soledar alone has little interest, except to complicate without cutting off the Ukrainian supply to Bakhmout, a more important city whose loss would open the road to Kramatorsk to the Russian forces. This is the danger for kyiv: a possible domino effect of defeats, with the risk, in the long run, of losing total control of the Donbass region.