According to the head of the OPU, Soledar is a place of street battles where neither side controls the city.
The battle near Verdun went down in history with the catchphrase "Verdun meat grinder" in connection with the enormous loss of life, the exact number of which historians are still arguing. Approximately, we are talking about 300 thousand killed. This is the most prolonged battle of the First World War between the German and French armies, which took place in 1916. The fighting lasted about 10 months.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, compared the battles between the Ukrainian army and the Russian invaders for Soledar and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region with the "Verdun meat grinder".
As the official noted in an interview with the French media Le Monde, the situation in this area is extremely difficult. He gave an analogy to the Battle of Verdun in 1916.
"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," he said.
According to Yermak, the invaders use criminals in battles against the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who died on the battlefield without even having time to reach the front line: they act like an ordinary "human mass". The Russians do not even take the bodies of the dead but simply leave them at the battle site.
The head of the Presidential Office stated that the Ukrainian side values ​​the lives of its soldiers much more, so the human losses in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the invaders are incomparable.
"So far, neither side controls Soledar." Yermak said in a commentary to the publication that street battles continue for the city.
"Soledar is a place of street battles where neither side controls 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, and fully restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine," the official said.
