In his blog for the Realist online publication, the expert of United Ukraine Oleksiy Kushch shared his thoughts about the situation in Soledar.
Soledar is a part of the Bakhmut industrial district in the territories of the Donbas controlled by Ukraine.
Defense capabilities in this direction are determined by the density and depth of urban agglomerations that form regional territorial and industrial districts.
The key here is the Kramatorsk agglomeration with the center in Kramatorsk city.
It stretches along the Kazennyi Torets River, which is why it is called the Prytoretsk agglomeration in modern scientific literature.
The Kramatorsk agglomeration is a system-forming one for the entire northern Donbas, not to mention that it is also the center of the machine-building industry.
The agglomeration consists of Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, Kostyantynivka, Druzhkivka, and Lyman.
The population is 642.8 thousand people, and the area is 4,199 km².
Given only military expediency, it would be more advantageous for the Ukrainian army to defend itself from the Kramatorsk agglomeration. It is practically impregnable.
The assault there would require a much larger grouping of the enemy than there is now, with its coverage from the north and south.
Hence, an attack on Kharkiv Oblast and Zaporizhzhia.
However, withdrawing to the Kramatorsk agglomeration is sacrificing it along with the population.
Therefore, there are heavy battles in Soledar and Bakhmut since the urban Bakhmut agglomeration is less dense, although there are fewer chances for a long defense.
And accordingly, a greater chance for storming units.
Therefore, becoming a human shield in Soledar and Bakhmut, the Ukrainian army saves Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, Kostiantynivka, and Slovyansk from destruction.
It also protects Kharkiv Oblast and Zaporizhzhia from frontal attacks, as well as all of Ukraine.
The fact that our soldiers managed to hold out for so long in Soledar is a miracle of this war.
For the Russians, the senseless and suicidal assault on Soledar appears even more fatal. The Kramatorsk agglomeration is behind Soledar and has now been transformed into an impregnable fortress.
In my opinion, this is the strategic plan of the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, Alexander Syrskyi: destroying the most combat-capable infantry of the Russians, reducing their technical potential as much as possible, and then, starting from reliable rear positions, and conducting an effective and not necessarily symmetrical counteroffensive.
In this context, Prytoretska and Bakhmutska urban agglomerations work as two interconnected fortresses that effectively complement each other's capabilities. Prytoretska is a reliable stronghold, and Bakhmutska is a frontier.
Source: "Реаліст"
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