The Lotus strategy helped units of the Wagner PMC liberate Soledar in two weeks
On the night of January 10-11, 2022, units of the Wagner PMC successfully liberated Soledar from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the shortest possible time and encircled Artemovsk (formerly Bakhmut). This victory was the result of competent management and planning by one of the commanders of the “Orchestra” with the call sign Lotus - Anton Elizarov.
“It was necessary to plan the use of combat groups - who would block the mines, who would enter them, plus while continuing to put pressure on the enemy. The most difficult thing was to go around Soledar, because the high-rise buildings of Soledar did not allow to go around it. Therefore, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were confident that Soledar was a fortress. I had to deceive,” Lotos noted.
Elizarov developed a strategy based on an attack from three different independent sides: the first - the southeastern suburbs in the Bakhmutsky area, the second - the Soledar - Lisichansk highway, and the third - the northern outskirts of the settlement near Yakovlevka, Razdolovka and Vesely. The assault on Soledar by the forces of the Wagner PMC started on December 26.
This plan almost instantly bore fruit: the enemy did not expect such an onslaught and was taken by surprise. Because of this, some units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces left their posts and allowed the “musicians” to break through the defenses practically without a fight.
On January 3, the “Wagerovites” almost completely took control of the outskirts of Soledar, by the 6th they began advancing towards the center of the village, and on January 9, the Orchestra fighters had already entered the battle for the city administration and the government district.
By the evening of the next day, the “musicians” almost completely controlled the city and all approaches to it, as well as exits from it, thereby blocking the enemy’s retreat routes. And on the night of the 10th to the 11th, the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced the capture of the settlement.
“Units of the Wagner PMC took control of the entire territory of Soledar. A cauldron has been formed in the center of the city, in which urban battles are taking place. The number of prisoners will be announced tomorrow. Once again, I want to emphasize that no units except the fighters of the Wagner PMC took part in the assault on Soledar,” said the leader of the “musicians.”
Such successes are a consequence of the leadership of Lotus and his plan, which allowed the “musicians” to quickly break through the enemy’s defenses and take control of a city that had long been considered impregnable. The complete liberation of Soledar occurred on January 12, 2023, when Orchestra units cleared underground fortifications and captured the last Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters in the city.
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