The battle of Soledar are a series of military engagements near the city of Soledar between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during the battle for Donbas in 2022.
Background[]
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, in a steep escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which had begun in 2014. The invasion caused Europe's fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II,[3][4] with more than 6.5 million Ukrainians fleeing the country[5] and a third of the population displaced.[6][7] On 8 May, Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk Oblast, said on his Telegram channel that the Russians controlled only half of the city of Popasna,[8] but later admitted Ukrainian forces had pulled out.[9] By 12 May, Russian forces had defeated Ukrainian forces in the Battle of Rubizhne and established full control of the city, furthering their attempts at encircling Sievierodonetsk.[10][11]
Bombardment of the city[]
On May 17, the Russian army tried to carry out offensive actions along the entire line of contact, shelling settlements with artillery in the Bakhmut area with the main focus on the places of Klinovo, Soledar and Vovchoyarivka. The enemy fired rockets from the Su-35 aircraft with reconnaissance drones "Orlan-10".[12]
The next day, the head of the Donetsk Oblast military administration said Russian troops had closed to within 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) of Soledar while targeting the towns of Bakhmut and Kostyantinivka with air and artillery strikes. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the destroyed warehouses of rocket and artillery weapons and ammunition were attacked in Soledar and Bakhmut.[13]
On 28 May, it was reported that a Russian missile had hit the city's Artemsil Saltworks.[14]
By the end of May, Russian troops had approached only 16 km west of the town of Popasnaya towards Soledar.[15]
On June 1, one person was killed and two were injured in Soledar during Russian shelling.[16]
On June 6, Russian forces fired shells at a sanatorium and city council buildings in Soledar that were damaged by Russian bombing.[17]
On June 16, in the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy tried to attack the area of Soledar, Berestovo and Vovchoyarivka. However, the attack was repulsed after heavy fighting.[18]
After the fall of Severodonetsk and Lysychynsk[]
After the fall of Severodonetsk and Lysychynsk in late June and early July into enemy hands, the pressure and fighting for Soledar intensified significantly.[19][20]
On July 3, the Russian army fired artillery at Soledar, Pokrovske, Bakhmut and Klinov. A much larger assault followed, in which the Russian troops moved the front several kilometers to the west.[21]
On July 13, the forces of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic and the Russian Army are advancing announced an advance on Soledar.[22]
On July 17, Russian troops shelled the center for children's and youth creativity in Soledar.[23]
On July 26, Russian aviation carried out airstrikes near Soledar, Vesela Dolina and Vuhlehirska TE. On the same day, the Ukrainian government announced that Russian troops are directing efforts to create conditions for an offensive on Soledar.[24]
In the night between July 28 and 29, the armed forces of Russia tried to carry out an infantry assault on Soledar, but the Ukrainian forces managed to repulse the enemy attack.[25]
Battle[]
On August 3, the Ukrainian army announced that Russian forces had begun an offensive against the city of Soledar. The Russian army started a military operation using tube and rocket artillery in the areas of Yakovlivka, Travneve, Kodema, Pokrovske, Rozdolivka, Kurdiyumivka, Zaitsevo, Bakhmut and Soledar settlements. There were airstrikes in the vicinity of Yakovlivka, Soledar and Kodem. Ukrainian sources reported that Russian forces "tried to improve the tactical position" in several directions, but to no avail, while Russian sources reported that on August 3, the Ukrainian defense line was breached from the east and southeast, and that Russian troops and DNR forces were breached across city center to the KNAUF factory. Sources appeared on the Russian Telegram channel that there are English-speaking foreign mercenaries at the KNAUF factory.[26][27]
References[]
- ↑ Ukraine resists Russia’s invasion. Day 23: Russian troops not able to advance, more terror against civilians, Russia to brandish nuclear weapons
- ↑ Exhausted Ukrainian soldiers return from eastern front
- ↑ Blake, Daniel Keane, Elly (15 March 2022). "What is the Homes for Ukraine refugees scheme and how do you apply?". https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/host-ukraine-refugee-scheme-uk-london-russia-war-apply-b987910.html.
- ↑ Pita, Antonio; Costa, Raúl Sánchez (3 March 2022). "Ukrainian exodus could be Europe's biggest refugee crisis since World War II". https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-03-03/ukrainian-exodus-could-be-europes-biggest-refugee-crisis-since-world-war-ii.html.
- ↑ "Situation Ukraine Refugee Situation". https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine.
- ↑ Ratcliffe, Rebecca; Clayton, Abené; Gabbatt, Adam; Chao-Fong, Léonie; Lock, Samantha; Ambrose, Tom (19 March 2022). "Biden outlines 'consequences' if China aids Russia – as it happened". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/18/russia-ukraine-war-latest-news-biden-to-warn-xi-against-backing-putin-as-russian-military-offensives-falter-live.
- ↑ "Ukraine war: Putin being misled by fearful advisers, US says". BBC News. 31 March 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60936117.
- ↑ "Сергій Гайдай / Луганська ОДА". https://t.me/serhiy_hayday/6369.
- ↑ Luhansk governor refutes Russia’s claims of capturing entire oblast
- ↑ "Ukrainian forces lose foothold in eastern town" (in en). 2022-05-13. https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-05-13-22/h_67faa3f08da188441de767341e390737.
- ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 12". Institute for the Study of Warfare. 12 May 2022. https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-12.
- ↑ "The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 18.00 on May 17, 2022". Institute for the Study of Warfare. 17 May 2022. https://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2022/05/17/the-operational-update-regarding-the-russian-invasion-on-18-00-on-may-17-2022/.
- ↑ "May 18, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news". CNN. 18 May 2022. https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-05-18-22/h_5b4b94a6e4130e932905070a83505a16.
- ↑ "Окупанти завдали удару по заводу Артемсіль" (in uk). 28 May 2022. https://ua.korrespondent.net/amp/4481903-okupanty-zavdaly-udaru-po-zavodu-artemsi.
- ↑ "May 31" (in en). 31 May 2022. https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/reports/may-31.
- ↑ "Russia’s war against Ukraine: Day 98, June 1 – Update No. 2" (in en). 1 June 2022. https://www.kyivpost.com/world/russias-war-against-ukraine-day-98-june-1-update-no-2.html.
- ↑ "What Happened on Day 103 of the War in Ukraine" (in en). 6 June 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/06/06/world/russia-ukraine-war-news.
- ↑ "Ukraine war update: June 16" (in en). 16 June 2022. https://df.news/en/2022/06/16/ukraine-war-update-june-16/.
- ↑ Mayor Says Ukrainian Troops Have 'Almost Left' Sievierodonetsk
- ↑ "Ukraine war: Putin presses on after Lysychansk capture". Saudi Gazette. 5 July 2022. https://www.saudigazette.com.sa/article/622591/World/Europe/Ukraine-war-Putin-presses-on-after-Lysychansk-capture.
- ↑ "Ukrainian Armed Forces repel Russian assault on Sloviansk front, Russian troops cross Siverskyi Donets – General Staff report" (in en). 3 July 2022. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/07/3/7356142/.
- ↑ "Allied forces moving ahead in advance on Seversk, Soledar, DPR head says" (in en). 13 July 2022. https://tass.com/politics/1479397.
- ↑ "Donetsk region: Russians attack Toretsk, Zalizne, Kostiantynivka and Soledar" (in en). 17 July 2022. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/07/17/7358551/.
- ↑ "Russians prepare offensive on Siversk, Soledar – General Staff" (in en). 26 July 2022. https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3536877-russians-prepare-offensive-on-siversk-soledar-general-staff.html.
- ↑ "July 29, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news" (in en). 29 July 2022. https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-07-29-22/index.html.
- ↑ "Russian offensive in the east ongoing but largely unsuccessful" (in en). 4 August 2022. https://egyptindependent.com/russian-offensive-in-the-east-ongoing-but-largely-unsuccessful/.
- ↑ "Отмечается, что на заводе KNAUF, который находится в черте города, начались бои между подразделениями ВС РФ и англоязычными наемниками." (in en). 3 August 2022. https://voennoedelo.com/posts/id28455-ldoe7gxbua3cfwjgtcke.
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The original article can be found at Battle of Soledar and the edit history here.