In the Donbass, the fighting is fierce at the moment in Soledar, a mining town located north of Bakhmout, another disputed city. The Russian forces claim to have taken control of Soledar, which categorically denies Pavlo Kirilenko, the civil and military governor of the Donetsk oblast, on which Bakhmout and Soledar depend.
with our special envoys,Aabla Jounaidi and Boris Vicith
In Soledar, the fights are very hard. The Russians have entered part of the city and are shelling non-stop. There is also close combat between members of the Wagner group and our fighters. The enemy tries to take the salt mines. He was pushed back and fighting continues around the mines. But I can say 100% that Soledar remains a Ukrainian city. Our forces have control of it. Of course, the Bakhmout and Soledar front are the hottest in the region. But we must never forget the other fronts: Marrinka, Avdivka and Novopavlivka, in the center and south of our Oblast.
What are Ukrainian forces doing to contain a Russian advance in this area?
We combine our forces. Reinforcements are sent. Special forces are on the scene. The enemy registers a large number of losses, but they do not calculate them. That’s a fact. Anyway, talking about retirement is out of the question. We are on our land. We have always said it and we will always repeat it. We will defend every piece of land, be it a village or a city.
What is the situation of the civilians still there?
Today, there are 559 inhabitants left. They were systematically evacuated from January 5. But the city is hell now. The Russians are destroying everything, all the life around, all the infrastructure. Soledar is almost completely destroyed. And the city is closed because at the entrance, around and inside the city, heavy fighting is taking place. Evacuating the civilians would be dangerous for them as well as for us. And the chance of evacuating them intact and alive would be slim. But all these people are in shelters. They have all the vital necessities, medicines, hygiene kits, and heating systems.
What strategic interest is there in taking Soledar?
I’m not a commentator on military things, but I think I know a little about it. Strategically, and despite all the Russian propaganda, taking Soledar and Bakhmout will not turn the tide of the war. But after withdrawing from many occupied territories, recaptured by our forces, they are desperately looking for the crack on the front line to try to garner any small success and justify their war. They continue their long and tedious plan to take Bakhmout. And for that they attack Soledar on the flanks [par les villages de Yakovlevka, Razdolevka.] Taking Bakhmout is simply securing a base from which to attack other towns. Because there, in this cold, their men are just dying on the battlefield.
In this context, have you already received the last package of military aid sent to Ukraine?
We are in the process of receiving anti-aircraft systems and armored vehicles from our major partners, including the United States and EU countries. Especially the ones you’ve heard of [véhicules de combat légers français AMX-10 RC, ndlr]. We thank our international partners for their assistance. Clearly, without them, without their weapons and their military vehicles, we could not hold back this great enemy wave. We have a precise and still long list of equipment needed to liberate the occupied territories, in Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhia.