KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia claimed Friday that its forces captured a fiercely contested salt mining city, in what would mark a uncommon victory for the Kremlin after a collection of setbacks in its struggle in Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities mentioned the struggle for Soledar continued.
Moscow has painted the battles for the city and close by Bakhmut as key to capturing your entire japanese area of the Donbas — and in addition as a approach to grind down the most effective Ukrainian forces and forestall them from launching counterattacks elsewhere. But that cuts each methods, and Ukraine has mentioned that its fierce protection of the japanese strongholds has helped tie up Russian forces.
Since it invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Moscow has prioritized taking full management of the Donbas — a area made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces the place it has backed a separatist insurgency since 2014. Russia has seized most of Luhansk, however about half of Donetsk stays below Ukraine’s management.
There have repeatedly been conflicting stories over who controls Soledar, the place a bloody battle has raged for months. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify both aspect’s declare.
“The liberation of the town of Soledar was completed in the evening of Jan. 12,” Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry’s spokesman, mentioned, including that the event was “important for the continuation of offensive operations in the Donetsk region.”
Taking management of the city would permit Russian forces “to cut supply lines for the Ukrainian forces” in Bakhmut after which “block and encircle the Ukrainian units there,” Konashenkov mentioned.
But Serhii Cherevaty, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military within the east, denied the Russian Defense Ministry’s declare, telling the AP that “there are still Ukrainian units in Soledar.”
Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War, a assume tank in Washington, noticed that the autumn of Soledar wouldn’t mark “an operationally significant development and is unlikely to presage an imminent Russian encirclement of Bakhmut.”
The institute mentioned that Russian info operations have “overexaggerated the importance of Soledar,” a small settlement, arguing as nicely that the lengthy and troublesome battle has contributed to the exhaustion of Russian forces.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Thursday additionally downplayed the importance of potential Russian features within the space.
“Even if both Bakhmut and Soledar fall to the Russians … it’s not going to have a strategic impact on the war itself,” Kirby mentioned. “And it certainly isn’t going to stop the Ukrainians or slow them down in terms of their efforts to regain their territory.”
Just hours earlier than Russia’s declare, Ukraine reported that there had been a heavy evening of preventing however didn’t acknowledge lack of the city.
In a Telegram submit early Friday, Ukraine’s deputy protection minister, Hanna Maliar, mentioned that Moscow “had sent almost all (its) main forces” to safe a victory within the east.
“This is a difficult stage of the war, but we will win. There is no doubt,” Maliar added.
A Ukrainian officer beforehand instructed the AP that within the battle for Soledar, the Russians have first despatched in troopers, many from the non-public Russian navy contractor Wagner Group, who take heavy casualties however exhaust the Ukrainian defenders. Then the Russians have despatched in one other wave of highly-trained troopers, paratroopers or particular forces, mentioned the Ukrainian officer, who insisted on anonymity for safety causes.
Konashenkov mentioned that storming of Soledar grew to become potential due to large air and artillery strikes and airborne troops’ maneuvers to envelop the town. He didn’t point out the Wagner Group, which beforehand took credit score for capturing Soledar. There have been indicators of tensions between the military and the Wagner Group, led by millionaire Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Prigozhin angrily accused the Defense Ministry on Friday of “constantly trying to steal Wagner’s victory.”
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