The ministry said Russian forces had taken control of the town, which had long been the scene of fierce fighting and shelling on Thursday night. It added that this would now allow its forces to cut off Ukrainian forces from the nearby town of Bakhmut, which is much larger than Solidar.
Moscow considered the control of Solidar a decisive step in its military operations in Ukraine: “an important step towards carrying out successful attacks in the future.”
The Russian defense said that the control of Solidar would allow the isolation of Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut.
There continues to be conflicting information about the situation there, as two narratives emerge in this context. While the Russian forces insist that they have taken control of the town, the Ukrainian Defense Minister said that the situation in the town is very difficult, but it is under control.
Ukraine said earlier on Friday that its forces were still holding out in Solidar after a “frantic” night of fighting in what has become one of the bloodiest battlefields of the entire war.
For her part, Deputy Defense Minister Hana Malyar said that the Ukrainian forces held out, on Friday, after a “frantic” night of fighting in the town.
Solidar, located 15 kilometers from Bakhmut, is of strategic importance to Kiev, as it is located in the middle of the Bakhmut-Seversk defense line.
Although it will not constitute a turning point in the war, the fall of Solidar to Russian forces after months of Ukrainian defense will be a milestone on the battlefield, and will provide Russian forces with a strategic starting point for their efforts to surround the nearby city of Bakhmut.
Both sides suffered heavy losses in the battle for Solidar.
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