Military expert Oleg Zhdanov called the situation with the defense of Bakhmut of the Donetsk region, which the Russian invaders have been trying to capture for more than six months, difficult, but more or less stable, noting the factors that contribute to the Defense Forces.

He spoke about this in an interview with

TSN.ua.

According to him, even the topography of the area poses great difficulties for the Russian troops and helps the Ukrainian military to defend the city.

In addition, Bakhmut is much larger in terms of territory than the neighboring Soledar, on which the occupiers are now concentrated.

According to Zhdanov, even the capture of Soledar will only create a threat to attempts to encircle Bakhmut, not the encirclement itself.

"They can make a breakthrough in our defense by moving in the direction of Sloviansk. But we have a built-up defense line on the Donetsk Canal. Equipment will definitely not pass through the canal and you will not be able to advance on water on foot. If they manage to take Soledar, from Bakhmut we can carry out flanking strikes, surrounding the Russian group in Soledar," the expert suggested.

The possible loss of Soledar, according to Zhdanov, does not give clear advantages to the occupying army.

Retention of the city will mean the preservation of the front line and the destruction of the political plans of Prigozhin and Kadyrov, who recently hit rock bottom, realizing that in the event of a failure in Soledar, all "credits" to Putin may collapse in one moment.

At the same time, the concentration of the occupiers' efforts on Soledar led to the fact that under Bakhmut the pressure of the Russian troops decreased significantly.

"Part of the artillery retreated near Soledar, the number of raids decreased. The situation there [near Bakhmut] is difficult, but more or less stable," the expert noted.

It will be recalled that the military man defending Soledar said that the situation in the city is "very difficult" and that "the next 24 hours will be critical."

Read also:

  • The Armed Forces explained why the battle for Soledar is important

  • The occupiers took the Bakhmut-Soledar road under fire control: Arestovych reported what was happening there

  • The capture of Soledar by the Russians will not mean the encirclement of Bakhmut - ISW