Russian gains in east a “Pyrrhic Victory” says Ukraine
Soledar battle exposes Russia internal divisions
Is Russian Success in Soledar a trap for its troops?
Russian forces recently claimed victory in the Ukrainian town
of Soledar but experts say it may ultimately prove to be a trap
for Moscow .Ukrainian officials claim their forces have not left
the town and continue to fight . Ukrainian president Volodymyr
Zelensky also said that the fight for Soledar and other towns in the
east is ongoing . While the Russian claims have not been Independently
verified Moscow correspondents have shared geolocations of their
troops in Soledar . These geolocations suggest Russian forces have
taken nearly all of Soledar. The town located in eastern Ukraine has been
a focal point of the ongoing conflict between the two countries .
A “Pyrrhic Victory For Russia ?
Ukraine claims that any Russian gains in the eastern region would
be equal to a pyrrhic victory. Ukraine national guard Volodymyr
Nazarenko said the advance may not be as beneficial as it seems .
Nazarenko said heavy fighting has already destroyed much of the
town and the surrounding area . Nazarenko said that Ukrainian
forces were determined to knock out the Russians from their positions.
A Russian advance in Ukraine would be welcomed news for the
Kremlin following a string of embarrassing setbacks .Amid push
on the gound the battles for both locales have killed thousands of
soldiers on each side . Both Soledar and Bakhmut have been focus
of a grinding artillery battle since late summer .
While analysts have questioned the strategic value of Soledars or
nearby Bkhmut Russia has invested heavily in trying to take the areas .
Some experts say that these towns hold symbolic value for the
Kremlin amid its lackluster battlefield results. Some experts believe
that the area was chosen for offensive based ont the availability of a
stable supply for Wagner Group.
Ukraine has also concentrated significant amount of its forces and
equipment in the battle . Experts say that Russia isolated offensive
on Bakh,ut makes next to no strategic sense apart from stretching
Ukraine reserves .
Soledar battle exposes Russia internal divisions
The battle in Soledar has also exposed divisions between Russia
regular troops and the Wagner mercenary group . Wagner has
been leading a months-long push to try to seize Soledar and Bakhmut .
Prigozhin is now quite outspoken in claiming full credit for te Soledar
operation . Many analysts have suggested Prigozhin is hoping to shore
up his political standing in Moscow and secure a public relations win .
This his sparked a turf that played out this week as both sides contradicted
each other and took credit for Russian gains . Russia defense ministry
did not mention Wagner Group role when it spoke about taking Soledar
under control. Shortly after Moscow statement a Wagner commander
slammed Kremlin for not giving credit to the group for the Russian advances .
Experts says that the Wagner Group focused on fighting in an area where it
can maximize the appearance of success . Experts say that the mercenary
group has set up its logistics defensive lines and artillery to its best advantage .
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