LUGANSK, January 14. /TASS/. Having suffered a serious defeat in Soledar, the armed forces of Ukraine are likely to stage provocations in other areas of the frontline in Donbass, Colonel Vitaly Kiselyov, a military analyst in the Lugansk People’s Republic, told TASS on Friday.
"Undoubtedly, redeployment of troops and mine-laying efforts at territories near Artemovsk will follow the defeat in Soledar. Attempts to break through our lines are expected in the Kremennoye and Svatovo zones," he said.
Kiselyov suggested that Ukrainian troops may also try to break through defense lines near the settlement of Belogorovka some 19 km away from Lisichansk.
"Whatever it be, our current defenses give us grounds to say that all attempts to break through will be futile," he said.
He also said that since the start of the special military operation, Russian artillery forces have learned to cut ammunition waste to minimum.
"The armed forces of Ukraine are getting more and more military equipment these days, but, luckily, our artillery forces are striking it with great precision," he said.
Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov announced on Friday that the city of Soledar was fully liberated late on January 12. In his words, full control over Soledar will make it possible to cut off supply routes for Ukrainian troops in Artemovsk (known in Ukraine under the name Bakhmut), a city southwest of Soledar, and to eventually encircle any Ukrainian forces remaining there.