Soledar is ‘Verdun for 21st century’ says top Ukraine official as he denies Russians have controlAndriy Yermak, head of the office of the president of Ukraine, has described the situation in Bakhmut and Soledar as the “battle of Verdun in the 21st century”.
The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle of the first world war, and led to huge casualties.
Yermak said:
The situation is difficult, even very difficult. This is the battle of Verdun in the 21st century. The fighting has been going on for several months, but our fighters manage to hold their positions.
The Russians release criminals from prisons who die as soon as they reach the frontline. Their bodies are left in place, they are not even removed, there are many human losses on the Russian side, much more than ours. We clearly value the lives of our soldiers more.
But before us is a human mass that is constantly attacking, attacking, attacking. Soledar is a place of street battles, wherever one of the parties does not control the city. The Russians are there, but they do not control the city. The situation is complicated, but our goal is to liberate our territories, fully restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine.