Bachmut and Soledar: For a few weeks now, the Ukrainian cities, which together have only about 85,000 inhabitants, have suddenly found themselves at the center of hostilities. With heavy losses, the Russian troops try to take the two cities.
In the small town of Soledar near Bachmut, the fighters of the Russian mercenary Wagner should now be successful. Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44) had to admit that his troops had difficulty holding the city. Conflicting claims emerge from the heart of the fighting: while Russia claims to have already captured the city, Ukraine disagrees.
Only: what does Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin (61), who is considered a close confidant of President Vladimir Putin (70), actually want with the city of 10,000 inhabitants?
Strategically important city
According to the experts of the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Wagner troops would have several trump cards if they conquered the city.
On the one hand, Soledar is located on an important connecting road to the nearby city of Slowyansk. So far, the Ukrainian army has used them to supply troops on the Eastern Front. If the Russians actually succeed in capturing Soledar, they would also control the access road – and could cut off part of the Ukrainian troops’ supply.
In addition, the Wagner forces in Soledar would gain access to a gigantic tunnel system under the area. Wagner boss Prigoshin himself makes no secret that he absolutely wants to conquer the tunnels. It is a “network of underground cities” that can be used to store weapons and retreat for troops, he wrote on Telegram. A conquest would be “the icing on the cake,” says Prigozchin.
In fact, the salt and gypsum mines stretch for 200 kilometers in the area around the two disputed cities. The capture would allow the Russians to torpedo Ukrainian positions from below and advance further towards Bakhmut. Because the tunnels run at a depth of more than 100 meters, they are also well protected against attacks from above.
Total conquest no problem
According to the ISW, Prigozhin could also make coal with the salt from the mines. So Wagner’s boss could try to mine salt and gypsum and make money with it. This allowed the Kremlin’s war chest to be filled further.
However, from the point of view of Western experts, Russia is still a long way from completely conquering the Donbass. According to British military experts, Russia is unlikely to see a breakthrough in the coming weeks. The Ukrainian defense lines are still “very stable”, the British secret service writes in its situation report on Tuesday.