Fighting in several districts of Bakhmout and withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Soledar
, Le Figaro
takes stock of the war in Ukraine this Wednesday, January 25.
Soledar ceded to Russian forces
The Ukrainian army admitted on Wednesday that it had ceded the eastern town of Soledar to the Russians, two weeks after the announcement of its capture by Moscow.
"
After
months of difficult fighting
(...) the Ukrainian armed forces left it
" to "
retreat to prepared positions
", military spokesman for the eastern zone Serguiï Tcherevaty told AFP, refusing however, to specify when this retreat took place.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: what are the stakes of the Battle of Soledar?
Advance of Russian forces in Bakhmout, epicenter of the conflict
Russian troops on Wednesday claimed advances in Bakhmout, the epicenter of the conflict in eastern Ukraine where fighting is taking place in parts of the city, according to a Russian occupation official.
"
Pretty harsh hostilities are continuing in Bakhmout (...) Fighting is already taking place somewhere on the outskirts, and somewhere in those neighborhoods that were still held by the enemy quite recently
," said Denis Pouchiline, head of Russian occupation in the Donetsk region, quoted by Russian news agencies.
According to him, Russian troops, and in particular mercenaries from the paramilitary group Wagner, are “
advancing
”.
Read also“We will end this war in the Kremlin”: in Bakhmout, alongside the Russian legion fighting Putin
Bakhmout, which had 70,000 inhabitants before the conflict, has been subjected to repeated attacks by Russian troops since the summer, without the latter having so far succeeded in breaking the Ukrainian defenses.
The city, largely destroyed and whose strategic importance is disputed by experts, has become in recent months the site of heavy losses on both sides.
According to Denis Pushilin, the breakthrough claimed by Russia earlier in January at Soledar, located further north, "
played a key role
" in the current advances in Bakhmout.
The capture of this city "
made it possible to block the supply routes of the enemy and, in part, to take under operational control areas
" from which the Ukrainians struck Russian positions, he continued.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: these Wagner fighters, conscripted in prison and treated as heroes on their return
The leader of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, informed him on Tuesday evening via his press service that "
the purpose of taking Bakhmout is to destroy the Ukrainian army in the vicinity of the city and to prevent any offensive action in all directions
”.
"
All the combat-ready units of the Ukrainian armed forces are sent to Bakhmout and the Wagner group destroys them, opening up operational opportunities in other directions
" of the front, he said.
The Ukrainian general staff confirmed in its daily report on Wednesday Russian assaults in Bakhmout and its region.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, "
Russian forces have made marginal territorial gains in Bakhmout
".
He also noted reports of an ongoing Russian offensive in Vougledar, further south.
