Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers found themselves in an operational encirclement in Solar. The night before, it became known that the Ukrainian units located on the territory of Soledar received an order to withdraw their forces from this city immediately.
The Ukrainian troops have only 24 hours to implement the withdrawal. During this time, as expected, reinforced attacks by Ukrainian troops will be launched on Soledar in order to cover the retreat of key forces.
Officially, such information does not appear; however, according to Ukrainian information resources, at about midnight, Ukrainian troops began to retreat from the city’s territory, withdrawing military equipment and their units.
The reason for the withdrawal was the cutting by the Russian military of a key route providing communication with the city, in connection with which further defense in Soledar would not seem expedient.
The loss of Soledar by the Ukrainian troops indicates that the Armed Forces of Ukraine could not withstand the unexpected offensive of the Russian troops, as happened earlier in Bakhmut; however, due to the loss of Soledar, the threat also appears for the Ukrainian units stationed in Bakhmut, since in this case the city will be surrounded by 70-75%
Soledar is a town located in the northeastern part of Ukraine, in the Donetsk region. It is situated about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the regional capital, Donetsk.
The town is known for its salt mines, which have been in operation since the early 20th century and are a major source of salt for the region. The town also has a small population of around 9,000 people.