Satellite images show Soledar’s lush past & barren present amid intense battle in Ukraine

Ukraine’s salt mining town of Soledar has withstood some of the most devastating attacks by Russia amid the ongoing war, and two images are a testament to it. Satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies show juxtaposing pictures of the once-sprawling town on Ukraine’s frontline. 

An image captured in August 2022 shows the town enveloped in vegetation and residences. On the other hand, another picture photographed recently displays barren and uninhabited snow-clad land that has barely withstood Russian fury. As the battle continues, Donetsk Oblast’s Soledar continues to face some of the bloodiest attacks.

Earlier on Tuesday, TASS reported that Russian mercenary group Wagner has fully seized Soledar’s territory, with the town completely surrounded by military units. Moscow also reported that about 500 Ukrainian servicemen have been trapped and encircled in the city, a claim that Ukraine’s officials have refuted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the ravaged situation in Soledar, the town that is home to around 10,000 Ukrainian citizens. "The whole land near Soledar is covered with the corpses of the occupiers and scars from the strikes," Zelensky said on Monday, saying that this "is what madness looks like,” he said. 

Why is Soledar so crucial?

The Ukrainian president said that Ukraine would use the "wisdom of God" to overcome the "evil and darkness" of Russia that has attempted to destroy the country through belligerent attacks. "Isn't this what evil and darkness, which have taken up arms against us, want in their essence? We have been resisting them for more than three hundred days and eight years. And will we allow them to achieve what they want?” Zelenskyy asked.

Russian forces advancing in Soledar is a major win for Russia, according to Dr. Marina Miron of the Center for Military Ethics at King's College London. "Politically, it would be a massive win for Prigozhin, who has been gaining political traction in the past months. On the one hand, this victory would reinforce his position; on the other, it would boost the morale of the Russian troops after a series of setbacks and territorial losses," Miron told Newsweek.