Ukraine Fight Focused on Soledar as Russia Eyes Bakhmut

Britain’s defense ministry said Tuesday Russian forces and those from the mercenary Wagner group were “probably now in control” of most of Soledar, a small salt mining town in eastern Ukraine located in one of the areas of fiercest fighting. The fighting for Soledar has resulted in heavy losses for both sides. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his nightly address Monday, described the destruction in Soledar saying “there are almost no whole walls left.” “Due to the resilience of our warriors there, in Soledar, we have gained additional time and additional power for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. About 10 kilometers from Soledar is Bakhmut, which the British defense ministry said in its latest daily assessment is likely Russia’s main target to capture in Ukraine. "Despite the increased pressure on Bakhmut, Russia is unlikely to envelop the town imminently because Ukrainian forces maintain stable defensive lines in depth and control over supply routes,” the British ministry said. A senior U.S. military official, who spoke to reporters Monday on the condition of anonymity, called the fight in Bakhmut “really savage.” “And what I mean by savage is you're talking about thousands upon thousands of artillery rounds that have been delivered between both sides,” the official said, adding that Russian mercenary forces sacrifice their weaker soldiers by putting them in the front lines. The weaker soldiers "essentially take the brunt," the official said, adding that better trained forces then "move behind them to claim the ground.” Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

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