Ukraine holds on to strategic Soledar, tons of caught on the town as preventing rages | Top factors

As Russian troops intensified assaults for a breakthrough within the east, over 100 Ukrainian troopers had been killed and over 500 civilians had been trapped, mentioned Ukraine.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Jan 13, 2023 13:01 IST

Ukrainian troopers stroll within the place near Bakhmut in Ukraine on Thursday. (Photo: AP)

By India Today Web Desk: As Russian troops intensified assaults for a breakthrough within the east amid continued preventing elsewhere, Ukraine mentioned its troops had been holding out in opposition to pro-Moscow forces within the salt mining city of Soledar as greater than 500 civilians, together with kids, had been trapped there and over 100 troopers had been killed.

In a video handle, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday thanked two models in Soledar that he mentioned, “Are holding their positions and inflicting significant losses on the enemy.” He didn’t give extra particulars.

Soledar lies lower than 10 km northeast of town of Bakhmut the place preventing has raged for months in one of many battle’s bloodiest battles – dubbed the “meat grinder”. The seize of Soledar would signify Moscow’s first important achieve in half a yr.

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Russia mentioned Thursday that its forces are edging nearer to capturing a salt-mining city in jap Ukraine, which might mark an elusive victory for the Kremlin however come at the price of heavy Russian casualties and intensive destruction of the territory they declare.

Russian forces are utilizing mortars and rockets to bombard Soledar in an unrelenting assault, struggling for a breakthrough after navy setbacks have turned what the Kremlin hoped can be a quick victory right into a grinding battle of attrition that has dragged on for practically 11 months ad infinitum. Serhii Cherevatiy, a spokesman for Ukraine’s forces within the east, mentioned Soledar was hit by Russian artillery greater than 90 instances prior to now day.

More than 100 Russian troops had been killed within the battle for Soledar over the previous 24 hours and tons of of civilians are caught, Ukraine’s Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko mentioned in televised remarks.

“The Russians have literally marched on the bodies of their own soldiers, burning everything on their way,” Kyrylenko mentioned whereas reporting that Russian forces had shelled a dozen cities and villages within the area prior to now day.

Drone footage launched by Ukraine this week revealed among the destruction inflicted on Soledar after months of preventing, with bomb craters scarring the panorama.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed that the troops defending Soledar “will be guaranteed ammunition and everything necessary.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry made no point out of Soledar in its each day briefing on Thursday. The ministry introduced Wednesday that the nation’s prime navy officer — the chief of the navy’s General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov — was put accountable for navy operations in Ukraine. He replaces Gen. Sergei Surovikin, who was demoted to deputy solely three months after he was put in in that job.

Published On:

Jan 13, 2023