The conflict escalated in Soledar, the current target of Russian forces, which they claim they have already captured, but which Ukraine denies.

Putin admits that the situation in the annexed territories of Ukraine is difficult

Wagner’s mercenary group claims to control the city of Soledar after several days of heavy fighting, although Kyiv denies this and Moscow urges caution and does not yet consider the area officially controlled.

The town of Soledar, about 10 kilometers north of the destroyed town of Bakhmut, is now the main target for Russian forces. But why is this place so important? We have to go back a few years, to the 2014 Russian invasion of Donbas, the region to which Soledar and its neighbor Bakhmut belong, COPE writes, citing Rador.

Despite the fact that Russia has declared its control over the Donetsk People’s Republic, the main region of Donbas, these two cities have so far held out.

When Russia launched a war against Ukraine in February 2022, the area was again one of the main targets, and Bakhmut and especially Soledar are considered key to establishing full control over Donbas.

A labyrinth of galleries and passages

The small town of Soledar, home to just over 10,000 inhabitants, is characterized by the Artyomsol salt mine. An entire underground city, a precious 19th century enclave that became a strategic fortress during the war. However, before the beginning of the conflict, his role was completely different.

This labyrinth of galleries and passages with more than 200 kilometers of tunnels at a depth of 300 meters has been visited by many tourists. Inside, there is a football field, a concert hall and there is even room, among its 30-meter ceilings, for a church.

In recent days, Russian troops have advanced significantly in this area. Russia realizes that the mines are a virtually impregnable place, safe from missiles and drones and devoid of satellite radars.

It is an ideal shelter, capable of sheltering thousands of soldiers and civilians, as well as storing weapons. Therefore, the loss of this position would be disastrous for Ukraine.

The head of Wagner’s paramilitary company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, assured on Tuesday morning that his units had captured the Soledar mines, from where he published a photo together with his unit.

However, the spokesman of the Eastern Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhii Sherevaty, insisted that this was completely “untrue,” and the Department of Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine questioned the authenticity of the photo.

“It appears that the placement they are showing is not true and that it is not actually the Soledar salt mines that are shown in the images,” Sherevati clarified, before noting that Moscow could use this information to try to justify “the heavy loss of prisoners “. In this regard, the Ukrainian military released several photos showing salt mines without the presence of the Russian army.

“It seems that this is not true and that they are not in the mines of Soledar, which was and always will be Ukrainian,” the army said.

If Putin’s army eventually takes Soledar, it will be one step away from taking Bakhmut, and with it the gateway to the Donetsk region. Something he wants and that would change the course of the war, writes COPE, quoted by Rador.