Russian troops stepped up their attack on the town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday. The British Ministry of Defense said the Russian army and mercenaries known as the Wagner Force were likely to have most of the small salt mining town under control after raids over the past four days. Soledar, in the Donbass industrial region of eastern Ukraine, is just a few kilometers from the strategically important city of Bakhmut. There, Russian and Ukrainian troops fought fiercely, apparently with heavy casualties on both sides.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening video address on Tuesday that Bakhmut and Soledar would continue to be defended despite widespread destruction. He pointed to heavier attacks in Soledar, where he says the walls are no longer standing and the country is littered with Russian corpses. “Thanks to the resilience of our soldiers in Soledar, we have gained more time and strength for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. He didn’t explain what he meant by gaining time or strength. Portal news agency could not immediately verify reports of the fighting.
The British MoD said Russia’s attack on Soledar was likely an attempt to encircle Bakhmut from the north and cut off Ukrainian communications. Because fighting is so expensive, Russia is apparently using many mercenaries from Wagner’s units in the region, who have also recruited personnel from Russian prisons. The mercenary organization was founded by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Fighting NATO”
Russian National Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev now sees his country in Ukraine in a tussle with NATO. In addition, the West is trying to separate Russia, Patrushev told the newspaper “Argumenti i Fakti”. “The events in Ukraine are not a confrontation between Moscow and Kyiv. This is a military confrontation between Russia and NATO and, above all, the United States and Great Britain.” The West’s plans are to further separate Russia and eventually erase it from the political map of the world. Patrushev, like Putin, used to be the head of the FSB domestic secret service. The two have known each other since the 1970s. Patrushev is considered a hardliner and one of the few who can influence the president.
US President Joe Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz always emphasize that Ukraine is also being supported militarily against Russian attacks, but that NATO is not part of the conflict in the war. For example, there are no soldiers from NATO countries stationed in Ukraine.
More weapon shipments
After a commitment to deliver armored vehicles from the US and Germany, as well as reconnaissance tanks from France, Scholz again emphasized on Monday night that further deliveries would continue to be closely coordinated, especially with the US. There are demands, especially from the Union, but also from the Green traffic light and FDP parties, for Germany to deliver the Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Tuesday that Russia will continue to expand its nuclear armament with ballistic missiles, submarines and strategic bombers because these weapons are the main guarantee of the country’s sovereignty. “We will also increase the combat capabilities of aerospace forces,” he said, referring to Ukraine’s enhanced air defense capabilities through the delivery of modern Western systems. (Portal)