Day 322: January 11Today there is bad news. In the face of the overwhelming attacks from every direction, and because Ukrainian flanks had been compromised, the Ukrainians made a decision to retreat from the central part of Soledar in order to escape the imminent encirclement. Last time I told you that the Russians managed to develop their attack in the central part of Soledar, which forced the Ukrainians to step back from the salt mines in order to avoid the salient. From that point on, the situation was as follows: the Ukrainians were controlling the salt mine entrances and high-rise buildings, while the Russians were controlling Artyomsol area, central part, and northern outskirts. But the most important developments were happening around the city – here, the Russians had increased their control significantly, creating a pocket around Soledar. I told you that that night should have been decisive, and the Ukrainians should either conduct a counterattack and clear the flanks or retreat. Today it became clear that the Ukrainians had decided to retreat. Unfortunately, the situation was developing so quickly that the retreat process did not go smoothly. The Russians had already assumed positions in the central part of the city, so retreating from the high-rise buildings became very difficult. On top of that, the Russians continued pushing from the north. The Ukrainians had no chance but to leave some forces as rear guards in order to ensure that most troops were able to retreat. Russian sources at first reported that they managed to encircle around 500 Ukrainians, however, later, only 100 soldiers have reportedly been captured. Nonetheless, the fighting in the area has not slowed down at all – it just shifted westward. Today in the morning, geolocated footage of fights showed that the fights were taking place near the next industrial area on the line. Prior to that, the Wagners had already shared footage of captured salt mines in the center of the city. The Russians are also reportedly storming Sil station, so I do not expect the Ukrainians to hold the second salt mine area for long. When it comes to the third salt mine, the Wagners are not yet developing their offensive in this direction. Now let’s zoom out to see the situation around Soledar. Russian sources reported that even though they established fire control over the settlements to the north and south of Soledar, the offensive operation in these directions is not being developed yet. The main goal all along has been fixing Ukrainian troops and not allowing them to send reinforcements to Solededar. The main obstacles for the Russians in the Soledar area at the moment are the northern, western, and southwestern suburbs, in particular, Paraskoviivka, Krasna Hora, Blahodantne, Sil, Krasnopolivka, Rozdolivka, and Vesele. The good news is that all sources confirm that, apart from the rear guards, the Ukrainians have withdrawn all forces and equipment. Some sources indicate that most units have already been relocated to Siversk. Other sources inform that Ukrainian units that left the city have been dispersed in the surrounding settlements, which makes more sense. Most of these surrounding settlements are not stormed yet. After establishing control over Pidhorodne, the only settlement under Russian fire is Krasna Hora.Overall, some of the best defensive positions in Ukraine have essentially been rendered useless because the Ukrainians could not protect their flanks. As the Russians established total control over the high ground around Soledar, the Russians were able to attack the defensive positions from every direction and significantly complicate supply and support. The Battle for Soledar once again emphasized how critical it is to control the high ground, even in modern warfare.