Battle for Soledar escalates as Zelenskyy denies Russia's control over salt-mining town

The Russian-Ukrainian war in Eastern Europe has taken a deadly turn, with the small town of Soledar becoming the focal point of the ongoing war. Russian forces have been relentlessly bombing the town, which has long been a key location for Ukrainian defense in the region. The town, located in Donetsk province, is of great strategic importance to the Kremlin, as its fall would give Russian troops a foothold for a major push to encircle the nearby city of Bakhmut.

Despite the heavy bombardment, Ukraine has denied that the town has fallen, and the Kremlin has yet to claim victory. The battle for Soledar has been fierce, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. Russia's defense ministry has stated that airborne units have cut off Soledar from the north and south, however, Ukraine denies this claim.

Soledar battle continues at a time when Russia is restructuring its military

The intense fighting in Soledar comes as Russia has made changes to its military leadership in an effort to turn the tide of the war. On Wednesday, Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu appointed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as the overall commander of forces for the invasion. This move not only makes Gerasimov directly accountable for the fate of the campaign but also in effect demotes General Sergei Surovikin, the man who was moved into the position just three months ago.

Experts believe that this shake-up in military leadership is an acknowledgement of the setbacks that Russian forces have faced on the battlefield. Mathieu Boulegue, from think-tank Chatham House in London, suggests that Putin could be trying to increase "manual control" over the management of the war and deflect criticism by pro-war ultra-nationalists inside and outside the Kremlin. The battle for Soledar has also highlighted the importance of the Wagner Group, a private military contractor that has played a key role in the attack on Soledar and Bakhmut.

Estimations suggest Wagner is playing an important role in Soledar

Western intelligence has estimated that the Wagner Group constitutes up to a quarter of all Russian combatants in Ukraine. The group, which is owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been accused of war crimes and human rights abuses. "Once again I want to confirm the complete liberation and cleansing of the territory of Soledar from units of the Ukrainian army," Yevgeny Prigozhin has said but Zelenskyy has denied this claim. "The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to  pretend that part of our town of Soledar … is some sort of a Russian possession. But fighting continues. The Donetsk theatre of operations is holding," he said in a video address, as per a report from AP. 

The war in Eastern Ukraine has been a costly one, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The fall of Soledar, while a significant prize for the Kremlin, would come at a high cost and may not necessarily change the overall outcome of the war. Michael Kofman, the director of Russia Studies at the CNA nonprofit research organization in Arlington, Va, states "I don't think the outcome at Bakhmut is that significant compared to what it costs Russia to achieve it". As the conflict drags on, the international community continues to condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine and call for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.