Russian troops haven’t been able to capture Soledar, despite the enemy’s claims.

Kremlin troops haven’t fully captured Soledar despite numerous claims from the country’s sources, according to the daily note from the Institute for the Study of War. It reported that even capturing the town would be unlikely to enable Russian forces to seize the more strategically importantly city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region. In the last two weeks, the aggressor state has increased the number of troops in the area from 20,000 to 30,000 to achieve at least some progress following its inability to advance in the previous few months. Russian offensive operations to capture Bakhmut have likely culminated due to degraded operational capabilities and an increasing shortage of munitions, which is the main problem for Putin’s army.