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(Jan 10, 2023 08:17 PM)Yazata Wrote: [ -> ]The Ukrainian position in Soledar continues to deteriorate.

Wagner fighters have posed for photos near the Soledar city hall. They were relaxed and evidently in no fear of being fired upon. So the Russians must have pretty good control of that area.

And journalists embedded with the Ukrainian forces in Soledar have been told to leave because the Russians are in danger of establishing "fire control" over the primary road in and out.

i hope the ukrainians do a good and safe tactical retreat.
once ukraine get the bradleys they can go around solidar and do a lighting strike on the 2nd and 3rd line

video of the Archer Mobile Artillery working looks AWESOME

Prigozhin has made this announcement on the Russian internet:

"The divisions of PMC Wagner took control of the entire territory of Soledar. A Cauldron has been formed in the center of the city, in which urban battles are being fought. The number of prisoners will be announced tomorrow. Once again, I want to emphasize that no units other than the fighters of the Wagner PMC took part in the assault on Soledar. "

If this is truthful, it seems to be saying that Wagner has the Ukrainian defenders of Soledar surrounded and that Wagner expects to take those Ukrainians prisoner. It may or may not be true. It's consistent with the Ukrainian warning to journalists this morning that the road out was receiving fire. But that didn't necessarily imply that the Ukrainians were completely surrounded.

https://t.me/bbbreaking/145314

Edit For their part, the Ukrainians are saying that they are still trying to hold a smaller area on the western side of the city. Progozhin agrees this is true. He says fierce fighting continues in the western outskirts of the city and that Russian reports that the Ukrainians have been surrendering en masse are untrue. The Ukrainians are continuing to "fight bravely". So it sounds like Progozhin's latest remarks sound less triumphant than the earlier ones.

Photo in the mine tunnels beneath Soledar. The idea seems to be that Wagner could park any amount of armored vehicles, trucks, artillery and ammunition supplies in there, more or less immune from Ukrainian HIMARS.



Wagner in the tunnels

(Jan 11, 2023 03:29 AM)Yazata Wrote: [ -> ]Prigozhin has made this announcement on the Russian internet:

"The divisions of PMC Wagner took control of the entire territory of Soledar. A Cauldron has been formed in the center of the city, in which urban battles are being fought. The number of prisoners will be announced tomorrow. Once again, I want to emphasize that no units other than the fighters of the Wagner PMC took part in the assault on Soledar. "

If this is truthful, it seems to be saying that Wagner has the Ukrainian defenders of Soledar surrounded and that Wagner expects to take those Ukrainians prisoner. It may or may not be true. It's consistent with the Ukrainian warning to journalists this morning that the road out was receiving fire. But that didn't necessarily imply that the Ukrainians were completely surrounded.

https://t.me/bbbreaking/145314

Edit For their part, the Ukrainians are saying that they are still trying to hold a smaller area on the western side of the city. Progozhin agrees this is true. He says fierce fighting continues in the western outskirts of the city and that Russian reports that the Ukrainians have been surrendering en masse are untrue. The Ukrainians are continuing to "fight bravely". So it sounds like Progozhin's latest remarks sound less triumphant than the earlier ones.

Photo in the mine tunnels beneath Soledar. The idea seems to be that Wagner could park any amount of armored vehicles, trucks, artillery and ammunition supplies in there, more or less immune from Ukrainian HIMARS.



Wagner in the tunnels

Ukraine knows wagner is likely to try and bring supplies and armour and Orcs into the tunnels so ukraine can use the lead in to entry points as a shooting gallery

There doesn't seem to be anything new from Soledar today so far, so presumably the Ukrainians are still hanging on to their positions in the western fringes.

Edit - Progozhin is once again proclaiming victory in Soledar. (Translation of his post from Telegram)



Here's a drone photo of one of the hottest parts of the Bakhmut front. I believe that the Russians largely hold the far side of this little river, although Ukrainians raid across. And the Russians have crossed over into the residential area in the foreground several times and attempted to seize it, but the Ukrainians pushed them back across the river each time.

Rybar's (one of the more reliable Russian channels) version of the Soledar situation.



Militaryland's (one of the more reliable pro-Ukrainian channels) Day 322 summary (of what was supposed to be a 3-day war!)

https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-322-summary/

The Ukrainians have clamped down press censorship and most of the pro-Ukrainian channels just post Ukraine government releases, while they are denouncing everything the pro-Russian side says as propaganda and lies. As for me, I believe that both sides are putting out self-serving opinion, so perhaps the most accurate picture might come from kind of interpolating between the two not always consistent visions.

At Last Great Brittan stepping up to the need of the war effort with Challenger Tanks for Ukraine

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64274755

Quote:The UK is to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to bolster the country's war effort, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said.
He spoke to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in a call on Saturday, during which he confirmed he would send the equipment and additional artillery systems, No 10 said.
Downing Street said the move shows "the UK's ambition to intensify support."
The BBC understands the initial commitment is for about a dozen tanks.

yay !!!!!


the russian invasion of Ukraine is like the battle of Britain with their fighter pilots.
instead of fighter pilots it is tank and artillery crews and drone recon crews.

Ukraine need to focus some of their new equipment on counter battery fire

It's pretty well confirmed that Wagner has completed the capture of Soledar. The Russians seem to have taken, or be in the process of taking, all the small villages east of the small river that flows through Bakhmut, north of Bakhmut. The Ukrainians are digging in fortified positions across the river. (More trench warfare.)

And there are multiple rumors inside the Ukrainian army that the Russians have captured Klischkiivka, a small village just south of Bakhmut that the Ukrainians have been defending for weeks. Its importance is that its capture makes flanking Bakhmut on the south side much easier. It's unofficial, but it might be the best we get since the official Ukrainian briefings in Kyiv often don't report Russian successes.

It looks to me like the Russians have deemphasized attacking Bakhmut directly, where they were having little success, and are attacking to the town's north and south. That makes sense in military terms, since well-defended strongpoints are often taken by flanking actions that seek to go around them.

would be great to see F-18's using JDAM's as counter battery fire
hopefully those Archers & Ceasers can be moved into multi role support prioritizing as counter battery fire

There's lots of rumors and internet talk in Russia that Putin will make a televised address to the Russian nation tomorrow, regarding the "Special Military Operation". Speculation is that he will announce 1. additional mobilization, and/or 2. a declaration of war against Ukraine.

Some might question what impact a declaration of war would have. Aren't they fighting a war already? But I think that a declaration of war would have legal impact inside Russia, since different laws are in effect during wartime. It would put Russia on more of a World War II style war footing, which Putin may have decided is necessary since the armed forces Russia had on hand at the beginning of the war were clearly insufficient to deliver the fast victory that the generals promised him.

And everyone expects additional mobilizations, whether Putin announces them tomorrow or not.