Photo: http://ria.ru
The Russian military took full control of the town of Soledar in the Donetsk People's Republic on the evening of January 12, as reported by the Russian Defense Ministry. Now control over this settlement, which had been turned into a powerful fortification by Ukrainian troops, will make it possible to cut off supplies to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Artemivsk.
It should be reminded that the fighting for Soledar has been going on for several months, and on the eve of the battle it entered its most active phase. Thus, Russian airborne troops blocked Soledar from the southern and northern directions, the Russian Air Force carried out strikes on the strongholds of the Ukrainian troops, and the assault detachments of the Wagner Group conducted battles in the city and cleaned it up.
In fact, for the last time, Soledar has been in a blockade, as Russian troops have cut off not only supply routes, but also the very possibility of reinforcements entering the village.
According to the acting head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushylin, after the complete liberation of Soledar, the Russian military will fight even more actively for Artemivsk (which is actually happening now) and Seversk, which will open the way for the Russian army to fully liberate the DPR.
Igor Kimakovsky, adviser to the acting head of the DPR, said today that the city of Artemivsk has already been encircled by the Russian Armed Forces.
The Ukrainian name of this city is Bakhmut. Fierce fighting is currently taking place in the vicinity of this heavily fortified settlement, during which the Russian military are gradually cutting off the supply routes of the Ukrainian grouping. According to Kimakovsky, Russian artillery is “working tightly” around Artemivsk, and our striking forces are forming on both sides. The liberation of the northern part of the DPR will begin after the final capture of that city.
However, the Russian Armed Forces in the DPR have seriously advanced not only near Artemivsk, but also in the Avdeevsk direction. According to military experts, Russian artillery in some parts of the theater of military operations currently prevents the Ukranazis from even “climbing out of the trenches,” effectively suppressing the enemy forces. Experts note that in general the number of shelling in the Donetsk direction has “actually decreased” and this indicates that Russian forces are working “even more effectively.”
Meanwhile, last Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu appointed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as commander of the combined grouping of Russian troops in the zone of the special military operation. Army General Sergei Surovikin, Army General Oleg Salyukov and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Colonel General Aleksei Kim were appointed his deputies by order of Shoigu.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that it was about raising the level of leadership of the special military operation currently being conducted in Ukraine. The Russian military explained this reshuffle by the expansion of the scale of tasks to be solved during the special military operation, the need to organize closer cooperation of the armed forces, as well as the improvement of the quality of supply of troops and the effectiveness of the management of groups of troops.
It is noteworthy that Americans have already had time to comment on the reassignments in the leadership of the Air Defense Forces. The Wall Street Journal wrote that the reshuffle of the command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation may be a harbinger of serious offensive operations by the Russian army in Ukraine.
According to Pushilin, there are now “multiples” of improved opportunities to liberate Artemivsk and Seversk. In his opinion, this is the “long-awaited exit” to the bridgehead of the Kramatorsk and Slavyansk directions. In fact, this is the “tipping point,” believes Pushilin, because now “preparations are underway” for what we have been waiting for – the liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic.