Pictures show Soledar before and after the devastating destruction during the war

Months of bloody fighting in the Ukrainian city of Soledar has resulted in its being devastated, although fighting continues. Soledar, which lies on the front line of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, is located in Donetsk Oblast in the eastern region of Ukraine.

Recent satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies shows before-and-after images of Soledar, a salt mining town on the outskirts of Bakhmut, where more intense fighting has taken place. One image of Soledar is from August 2022, the other from earlier this month. You have lush, green grass and buildings, houses and schools. In the other photo, a snow-covered area is dotted with shellac-laced remains of buildings that are barely standing.

Here’s what Maxar tweeted on Wednesday, showing off her pictures.

Russia has previously said victories in Bakhmut and Soledar are crucial to its country’s progress in Ukraine. Russian state television claimed the country already has son Solledar, but Ukraine denies this claim.

“Units of the private military company Wagner took control of the entire Soledar area,” TASS reported on Tuesday evening. “The city center has been surrounded and urban fighting is underway. The number of prisoners will be announced tomorrow.”

The Ukrainian Prava also shows these pictures.

They later reported that 500 Ukrainian militants remained trapped in the city, which Ukrainian officials say is false.

dr Marina Miron of the Center for Military Ethics at King’s College London news week Wednesday that a victory for Russia in this area would be huge for them, including a major morale boost for Russian troops.

“Politically, it would be a massive victory for Prigozhin, who has been gaining political traction in recent months. On the one hand, this victory would strengthen his position, on the other hand, it would boost the morale of Russian troops after a series of setbacks and territorial losses,” Miron said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week painted a bleak picture of Soledar, a city home to about 10,000 of his compatriots.

“All the land near Soledar is covered with the bodies of the occupiers and the scars of the strikes,” Zelensky said Monday night, also saying, “This is what madness looks like.”

The war enters its 323rd day this week and Russia has lost nearly 113,000 soldiers since its invasion on February 24, 2022.

Zelenskyy has called Russia the “evil and darkness” that has invaded his country and has vowed that Ukraine will use the “wisdom of God” to overcome it.

“Isn’t that what evil and darkness that have taken up arms against us need in their essence? We resisted them for more than three hundred days and eight years,” said Zelenskyy. “And will we allow them to achieve what they want?