Ukraine admits retreating from the front-line town of Soledar during the war
Russian soldiers grabbed Soledar last week in their first substantial success after months of retreat, while Ukrainian forces have acknowledged “moving back” from the hotly disputed town in the Donbass. However, soldiers have told the BBC that they had retreated in a deliberate and tactical action ahead of a planned counterattack.
During a fierce gun and artillery fight between Soledar and the neighbouring town of Bakhmut, long bursts of automatic gunfire echoed through the drab, stubbled fields on the front line.
It’s fairly near. 100 metres Andriy a tall Ukrainian unit leader, spoke as he looked eastward across a line of shadowy trees and around the corner of a collapsed cottage.
What was taking place could not be accurately predicted. However, the incessant boom of rockets and artillery, along with the sound of automatic gunfire zinging overhead, hinted that Russian forces were nearby. The 46th Air Assault Brigade’s press officer, who was with us throughout our tour, claimed that the front lines were continuously moving, unpredictable, and sometimes by several kilometres each day.
Andriy admitted that the situation was difficult before slinking into a covert command bunker tucked away among the wreckage. His team had just learned in-depth details about a Russian armoured personnel carrier (APC) that a Ukrainian drone had seen. Three audible outgoing bursts from a nearby piece of light artillery.
Andriy asserted that we eliminate 50 to 100 enemies each day.
Some of the war’s fiercest fighting has taken place in and around Soledar. Russian forces, led by the mercenaries and ex-convicts of the Kremlin.
However, there seems to be a calm confidence among front line soldiers in towns like Paraskoviivka, which are now within a few hundred metres from Russian fortifications. Furious Ukrainian air and artillery bombardments appear to be impeding Russian efforts to advance.
