"Soledar Funnel"
The Ukrainians decided not to surrender Soledar. In media terms. That is, as long as possible, do not admit defeat. The Ukrainian leadership is trying to turn the Bakhmut-Soledar agglomeration into the “Fortress of Stalingrad” according to Hitler’s recipe. When Hitler ordered Field Marshal Paulus to hold out at all costs and declared the zone he occupied a “fortress.” It didn't help then. It won't help now. Although the Ukrainian authorities are trying very hard - fake news and idiotic statements are used anonymous military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that photo and video materials from Soledar were taken by Russian soldiers “before death.”
In reality, of course, Russian control over Soledar is established. And this city, with most of the world's salt reserves in the salt mines, has now forever become the city of glory for Russian weapons. Of course, there are still servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Soledar. They are blocked in the tunnels of some mines.
In general, the situation in the Bakhmut direction threatens to develop into a “crater” for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The situation does not look like a “cauldron” - the Russians have not yet closed the encirclement and have not completely cut off Bakhmut from the supply of weapons and manpower. Although the last remaining route near the dill, Konstantinovka-Chasov Yar-Bakhmut, is under fire from us. There is no point in completely surrounding Bakhmut. It is much more important to strike to the north and take the city of Seversk. This will immediately resolve the issue with the Ukrainian semi-siege of Lisichansk and Kremennaya. Firstly, the shelling of these cities will stop, and secondly, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attempts to break through the Svatovo-Kremennaya line will stop. This means that the road to the Kharkov region from the South and South-East will open for the Russians.
Seeing that the Ukrainians are on the verge of a large-scale defeat near Bakhmut, the Ukrainian commander Zaluzhny is trying to strengthen the group. Bakhmut and Soledar for Zaluzhny are a matter of prestige and future. Even more so than for Zelensky. Because the general’s future depends on his image as the “victor of Muscovites.” And here it turns out that the “iron general” Zaluzhny was beaten not even by the Russian Armed Forces, but by a private military company! In Ukrainian propaganda, these are generally recently released prisoners. Whether after such a beating Zaluzhny will be able to claim the first position in the state is a rhetorical question. It will be very convenient for Zelensky to attribute all defeats to Zaluzhny and at the same time get rid of his opponent - after all, Zaluzhny is second in the Ukrainian ratings.
Therefore, Zaluzhny persistently throws more and more troops into the Soledar Funnel. But he has nowhere to take them yet - he takes them from other directions, not so important from a propaganda point of view. Recently he transferred about three thousand troops from Krasny Liman and Kupyansk and to Konstantinovka and Chasov Yar. Thus, the Ukrainians concentrate from the South-West of Bakhmut, exposing Liman and Kupyansk. As we indicated, the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not yet have combat-ready formations to carry out a counteroffensive. Everything that was “sanded off” in Soledar.
This means that Russian troops will soon be able to carry out a successful attack on Kupyansk and Slavyansk, that is, to cover the Donbass group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the north. This will happen the sooner the more troops the Ukrainians throw into the Soledar Funnel. Until they manage to mobilize and train new brigades, with the equipment that their Western sponsors promised them - British Challenger tanks, German Leopard, American Bradley armored vehicles and everything else. For this, the Ukrainian regime needs time. Accordingly, we should expect our offensive in the Kharkov direction before this time comes.
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