Ukrainian armed forces left behind a large number of the bodies of their fellow servicemen during their withdrawal from Soledar, said Vitaly Kisilyov, a military expert and colonel who now commands part of Putin’s army.
“A large number of corpses were left in Soledar. The Ukrainians did not take their former brothers in arms with them,” the official said, adding that the bodies could soon be delivered to Ukraine, according to the Russian state agency TASS.
On January 19, Kisilyov said that Ukrainian forces engaged 14 brigades in the Artyomovsk (Bakhmut) and Soledar directions, with around 60%-70% of personnel lost fighting Russian forces.
On January 12, Soledar “was released from Ukrainian forces,” the agency notes. According to the spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, full control of this city makes it possible to cut the supply lines of the Ukrainian forces in Artyomovsk, to block and encircle the forces that remain there.
Despite the possible defeat in the Ukrainian demarcation, the Russians claim that Ukrainian troops regularly shell the city from kyiv-controlled areas, Vitaly Kiselev, a colonel in the area, told the agency on Tuesday.
“The bombardments against Soledar are organized [por las tropas ucranianas] from Slavyansk, Krasnaya Gora, Chasovoy Yar. Ukrainian troops seek to cause maximum damage not only to towns and cities in the rear, but also to recently liberated cities,” he added.
On January 12, Russian troops reportedly gained control of Soledar after days of heavy fighting. According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, control over Soledar will make it possible to block supply channels to Ukrainian forces in Artyomovsk, located southwest of Soledar, and then encircle them there.
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