Battle of Soledar
The Soledar War
The Soledar War
Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 will include the Battle of Donbas as part of the eastern Ukraine operation.
The conflict at Soledar, September 25, 2022.
3 August 2022 to the present (4 months, 1 week and 5 days)
Location Soledar, Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast
Status Ongoing
Entities at War Russia
Paraphrase: Peoples' republic
Luhansk People's Republic
leaders and commanders
Russian Armed Forces involvement unknown unknown units
Russian Ground Forces' 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division, 1st Guards Tank Army.
Chechnya Kadyrovites Luhansk People's Republic LPR Armed Forces 45th Engineer Regiment Wagner Group
Ukrainian Armed Forces 6th Cossack Regiment
Ukraine's 81st Airmobile Brigade of Ground Forces[3]
Sheikh Mansur battalion's insignia. Battalion of Sheikh Mansur[4]
Branch of the Territorial Defense Forces (SSI.svg) Ukrainian Free Russian Legion Territorial Defense Forces Patch.svg Legion of Freedom of Russia
Strength \sUnknown Unknown
losses and casualties
Unknown Unknown
1+ civilian fatality, 2+ civilian injuries vte 2022 Ukrainian invasion by Russia
Throughout the 2022 conflict over the Donbas, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation engaged in a series of continuing combat encounters close to the city of Soledar.
Contents
1 Background \s2 Battle
3 Analysis
4 References
Background
Primary Articles Donbass War and Eastern Ukraine Offensive 2022
Russian and separatist forces set their eyes on capturing the Donbas region, which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, during the Eastern Ukraine operation in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Insurrections in favour of Russia in 2014 resulted in the seizure of portions of these oblasts, including their namesake capitals. After the Ukrainians left Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast was taken over by Russia in late June and early July 2022. [5] The battleground then proceeded toward the important Donetsk Oblast cities of Bakhmut, Siversk, and Soledar.
On May 17, when Russian forces utilised drones and planes against Soledar, Klinove, and Vovchoiarivka, the first bombardment of Soledar started.
[6] Russian forces reportedly approached Soledar from a distance of 20 kilometres the following day, according to the governor of the Donetsk Oblast, Pavlo Kyrylenko, who also shelled Bakhmut and Kostiantynivka. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, during these operations, Ukrainian ammunition stockpiles in Soledar were destroyed. [7] Artemsil Saltworks had been struck and damaged by a Russian missile on May 20. [8] Only 4 kilometres had been gained by Russian forces toward Soledar by the end of May. [9]
On June 1, one person was killed and two others were injured by Russian shelling.
[10] On June 6, shelling continued.
[11] Russian soldiers made an attempt to march toward Soledar on June 16 but were unsuccessful.
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[13] [14] Russian small-scale assaults and shelling persisted throughout the rest of July. The cultural centre in Soledar was hit by "a dozen missiles" on the night of July 9–10, causing fires that raged for days without any assistance from firefighters. [15] After the Vuhlehirska power station was taken on July 26, Soledar became the next important target along that axis. [16] [17]
In Soledar, there were 15,000 people living there prior to the invasion. There were about 2,000 people left by the end of July. The Soledar Salt Mine has shut down after being shelled repeatedly. [15]
Andriy Zhovanyk, a well-known Ukrainian nationalist and military officer, was killed in combat on August 2 near Soledar. According to reports, he passed away while leading his company in the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps' 4th tactical group. [18] [19]
Battle
The Ukrainian army declared on August 3 that an offensive by Russian soldiers had started against the city of Soledar. Soledar, Bakhmut, and the villages to the south and east of the towns started to come under fire from Russian forces. Although these assertions were refuted by Ukrainian officials, pro-Russian media said that the fresh onslaught had broken military lines to the east and southeast. Later that week, the southeast of the city centre Knauf Gips Donbas gypsum facility was under partial to complete control of Russian and separatist forces. [20] [21] Russian forces also made progress in the Bilokamyanskyi refractory plant on August 10. [22] The separatists claimed on August 11 that they had infiltrated Soledar proper, but the Ukrainians did not corroborate this. [23] The media referred to the fighting in Soledar as "gruelling," and it was characterised by artillery battles between soldiers stationed around strategic points near hedgerows and tree lines along expanses of farmland, while civilians sought refuge in underground shelters and basements to avoid being bombarded. [24] [25]
The LPR separatists claimed to occupy the majority of the city's industrial zone on August 16 as airstrikes and ground engagements raged around Soledar, although there was no proof they had gone any further than the gypsum factory.
[26] Russian troops were reportedly attacking from the Stryapivka and Volodymyrivka directions on August 19, while fighting and shelling between Ukrainian defenders and LPR forces members continued on the city's eastern outskirts. [27] The Russian assaults near Soledar were defeated, according to the Ukrainian General Staff, on August 27. [28] By August 31st, there were still fights near the gypsum plant. [29]
While Russian sources stated that Russian and DPR forces had pushed into Soledar's civilian districts and were fighting with Ukrainian defenders, Ukraine said on September 8 that it had thwarted another Russian attack in Soledar.
[30] On 10 September, Russian sources said that the Russians had conquered several blocks of terrain near the gypsum factory. [31] The Ukrainian General Staff said that it successfully withstood many Russian attacks on Soledar throughout the month as local Russian assaults on or near the city persisted into October. [32] [33] [34] Russian sources stated that fighting had continued in the industrial area of Soledar on October 19 and 20, and that the prior five days had seen little progress for Russian forces. [35] [36] Russian sources claimed the capture of an unnamed major street in the direction of Soledar between October 22 and 24, amid reports of continued house-to-house fighting in the region, especially on Soledar's southern fringes. At the time, there was no independent verification of the Russian gains claimed. [37] [38]
Early in November, there were allegedly more clashes in the Soledar-Bakhmut region when Wagner Group troops attempted to breach Ukrainian defence lines there in an effort to encircle Bakhmut. According to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar, the Soledar-Bakhmut-Donetsk city front has become the focal point of warfare in Ukraine. The Ukrainians claim to be repelling hundreds of Russian assaults each day. [39] [40] Despite this, on November 8th, the Russians had made no noticeable progress in Soledar. [41] Fighting on the Soledar-Bakhmut front persisted into December; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the clash on December 3 as "the most excruciatingly intense. We make every effort to support our lads in this endeavour." [42] By December 7, according to numerous Russian media, Wagner forces had largely or completely taken control of Yakovlivka, located to the northeast of Soledar, and were removing the settlement. However, these statements have not been independently verified. [43]
Analysis
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has been closely watched by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which determined on August 8, 2022 that Russian forces were probably attempting to encircle Bakhmut by capturing Soledar, which is north of the city, and Zaitseve, which is south of Bakhmut. The ISW went on to say that the Russians aimed to create circumstances that would undermine Ukrainian control over the T0513 trunk road, which provides assistance for Ukrainian frontline positions in northeast Donetsk Oblast. [44]