News from the front-line Severodonetsk under siege described apocalyptic scenes with destroyed houses and blood-stained fields. The city had no military significance. But despite this, the Ukrainian forces held their positions, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy, depleting Russia's stocks of ammunition and weapons, thereby laying the foundation for further successful counter-offensives..

This “meat grinder” strategy is being applied again in Donbas. And military analysts say Kyiv is resorting to the same tactics in Soledar.. Even if Russia captured this city, its victory could be Pyrrhic, writes the Financial Times. The publication admits that, having lost control over Soledar, it will be difficult for the Ukrainian army to keep the neighboring Bakhmut, which has acquired a symbolic meaning.. For Russia, its occupation will be the first significant military success since the summer..

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But the capture of Soledar and, possibly, later Bakhmut, may be of less importance for Moscow than the losses suffered by its army during the fighting.. An unnamed adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that Kyiv's strategic approach to Soledar and Bakhmut is the same as in Severodonetsk.. After that battle, the Ukrainian army launched a rapid counter-offensive, driving Russian troops out of the Kharkiv region and Kherson.. It appears that with reinforcements in the form of Western armored vehicles, Ukrainian soldiers could potentially take advantage of Russian manpower losses to mount a powerful counter-offensive again, the adviser said..

“From a purely military point of view, a strategy in the spirit of Severodonetsk 2. 0 is suitable for Ukraine if the losses of Russian forces will be disproportionately greater than those of the Ukrainian army. This is a terrible and inhuman combat arithmetic.. Unfortunately, this is the reality,” said Fran-Stefan Gady, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies..

The publication writes that, according to US estimates, about 50,000 mercenaries from the Wagner group are fighting on the front between Soledar and Bakhmut.. Of these, 4,000 have already been killed, and another 10,000 wounded.. Wagner PMC owner Yevgeny Prigozhin recently admitted that his mercenaries are suffering heavy losses.. The Financial Times recalls that the losses of the attacking side are much greater than those that hold the defense.. This is especially true for battles in urban environments.. However, this does not mean that the Ukrainian army does not lose soldiers..

“Ukrainians daily suffer losses. Russia expects Ukraine to run out of resources before itself. It is possible that hard times will come soon. Ukrainians are also not made of iron,” an unnamed Western official told the publication..

The Financial Times writes that, according to Konrad Muzyka, an expert at the military consulting firm Rochan Consulting, Ukraine sent 12 brigades to the line between Soledar and Bakhmut, which is equal to about 50,000 soldiers.. More fighters means you can rotate, allowing them to rest and recharge. According to Muzyka, this is a lesson that Ukraine "

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However, there is a factor that could give Moscow an edge.. In the battle for Severodonetsk, the Russian army did not have enough soldiers. Now they are enough. Moscow has mobilized 300,000 fighters since September. And preparations for a new wave of mobilization are “very active,” a Western official told the publication on condition of anonymity.. Ukrainian intelligence believes that Moscow wants to send another 500,000 men to military service in an attempt to create an army of 2 million. Despite the inexperience of such forces, they can still arrange a new big offensive this year, they warn in Kyiv.

Also, since Wagner mercenaries are mainly involved in the battles for Soledar, this frees up the forces of the regular Russian army for operations in other places..

“Perhaps for Russia, this is the whole point: to force Ukraine into a war of attrition.. If the Russians “burn” their fighters, then the Ukrainians burn their combat potential,” Muzyka said..

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The Financial Times recalls that last week General Sergei Surovikin, who commanded the Russian occupation forces in Ukraine, was replaced by General Valery Gerasimov, who is regularly ridiculed and scolded by the owner of Wagner PMC for his failed attempt to occupy Kyiv last February..

However, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhny, spoke approvingly about Gerasimov. And in an interview with The Economist, he warned that Russian troops are “not idiots”.

“Ideally, for Kyiv, Ukraine will be able to hold the front line near Bakhmut with minimal forces and prepare for a counteroffensive in the spring. But it is possible that the Ukrainian forces themselves will be fixed near the city. Russia's strategy may not be as stupid as it sounds,"