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Battle of Soledar

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Battle of Soledar
Part of the eastern Ukraine offensive's Battle of Donbas in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Map of combat operations in the vicinity of Soledar with an apartment on August 3, 2022
Date3 August 2022 – present
(2 years, 2 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)
Location
Soledar, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
  Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Unknown
Units involved

 Russian Armed Forces

Luhansk People's Republic LPR Armed Forces

  • 6th Cossack Regiment[2]

 Armed Forces of Ukraine

Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown
1 civilian killed
2 civilians wounded

The battle of Soledar is a series of military engagements near the city of Soledar between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during the battle for Donbas in 2022.

Background

Main articles: Battle of Donbas (2022) and Eastern Ukraine offensive

During the Eastern Ukraine offensive in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian and pro-separatist forces set their sights on seizing the Donbas region, consisting of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Parts of these oblasts, including their capitals with the same names, were seized in pro-Russian uprisings in 2014. In late June and early July 2022, Luhansk oblast fell under Russian control following the Ukrainian withdrawal from Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. [4] The battlefield then shifted towards the cities of Bakhmut, Siversk, and Soledar, all key towns in Donetsk Oblast.

The first shelling in Soledar began on May 17, when Russian forces used drones and planes against Soledar, Klinove, and Vovchoiarivka.[5] The next day, Donetsk Oblast governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russian forces had closed within 20 kilometers of Soledar, while shelling the town along with Bakhmut and Kostiantynivka. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed Ukrainian ammunition warehouses were destroyed in Soledar during these campaigns.[6] On May 20, a Russian missile had hit and damaged Artemsil saltworks.[7] By the end of May, Russian forces had only advanced 4 kilometers towards Soledar.[8]

On June 1, Russian shelling killed one person and wounded two others.[9] Shelling continued on June 6.[10] On June 16, Russian forces attempted to advance towards Soledar, although failed.[11] Fighting intensified in early July after the fall of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, with Russian forces shelling Soledar, Bakhmut, and nearby towns on July 3, along with advancing multiple kilometers.[12] [13] Through the rest of July, shelling and small Russian advances continued. The Vuhlehirska power plant was captured on July 26, effectively making Soledar the next key target for offensives.[14][15]

Battle

On August 3, the Ukrainian army announced that Russian forces had begun an offensive against the city of Soledar. Russian forces began shelling Soledar, Bakhmut, and surrounding villages to the south and east of the towns. Pro-Russian media claimed that the renewed offensive had breached lines to the east and southeast, although these claims were denied by Ukrainian officials. Later that week, Russian and separatist forces had taken partial to full control of the Knauf gypsum factory southeast of the city center. [16][17] On August 10, Russian forces also advanced in the Bilokamyanskyi refractory plant in Soledar.[18] The separatists said they had entered Soledar proper on 11 August, but the Ukrainians did not confirm this.[19] The fighting in Soledar was described in the media as "grueling" and typified by artillery duels between troops entrenched around strategic points, located near hedgerows and tree lines along swathes of farmland; civilians fled to underground shelters to avoid bombardment.[20]

On 16 August, airstrikes and ground engagements continued around Soledar, and the LPR separatists claimed to have controlled most of the city's industrial zone, but there was no evidence they had advanced beyond the gypsum factory.[21] On 19 August, shelling and clashes between the Ukrainian defenders and elements of the LPR forces continued on the eastern outskirts of the city, as the Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian troops were attacking from the Stryapivka and Volodymyrivka directions.[22]

The Ukrainian General Staff reported it repelled Russian assaults near Soledar on 27 August.[23]

Analysis

The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, assessed on August 8 that Russian forces are likely seeking to establish control over Soledar to Bakhmut’s north and Zaitseve to Bakhmut’s south to set conditions to disrupt Ukrainian control over the T0513 trunk road that supports Ukrainian frontline positions in northeast Donetsk Oblast.[24]

References

  1. ^ Ukraine resists Russia’s invasion. Day 23: Russian troops not able to advance, more terror against civilians, Russia to brandish nuclear weapons
  2. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 23". The Institute for the Study of War. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  3. ^ Exhausted Ukrainian soldiers return from eastern front
  4. ^ "Luhansk Oblast: Russian forces focus efforts on Bakhmut front". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
  5. ^ "The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 18.00 on May 17, 2022". Institute for the Study of Warfare. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  6. ^ "May 18, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news". CNN. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Окупанти завдали удару по заводу Артемсіль" (in Ukrainian). 28 May 2022.
  8. ^ "May 31". 31 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Russia's war against Ukraine: Day 98, June 1 – Update No. 2". 1 June 2022.
  10. ^ "What Happened on Day 103 of the War in Ukraine". 6 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Ukraine war update: June 16". 16 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Ukraine war: Putin presses on after Lysychansk capture". Saudi Gazette. 5 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Ukrainian Armed Forces repel Russian assault on Sloviansk front, Russian troops cross Siverskyi Donets – General Staff report". 3 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Russians prepare offensive on Siversk, Soledar – General Staff". 26 July 2022.
  15. ^ "July 29, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news". 29 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
  17. ^ "Отмечается, что на заводе KNAUF, который находится в черте города, начались бои между подразделениями ВС РФ и англоязычными наемниками". 3 August 2022.
  18. ^ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, AUGUST 10". 10 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Pro-Russian separatists claim to have entered Donetsk towns of Soledar and Bakhmut". CNN. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Living Underground On The Spearhead Of Russia's Offensive". Barrons. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 16". The Institute for the Study of War. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 19 August". The Institute for the Study of War. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 27". The Institute for the Study of War. 27 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  24. ^ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, AUGUST 8". 8 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
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