Heavy fighting in Soledar
These Ukraine troops are standing up to the Wagner mercenaries
While the Kremlin claims to have captured the small town of Soledar, Ukraine continues to deny it. According to Ukrainian President Zelensky, fighting continues. Two secret units in particular put up a good fight against the Wagner mercenaries.
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According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Kraken unit and the international legion are still fighting in Soledar.
Carla DeVizziEditor News
The small town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine is still the focus of hostilities in the Ukraine war. The armed forces fought fiercely this week in the town near Bakhmut.
While Putin’s troops claimed on Friday that they took the city of Soledar on Thursday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (44) maintains that fighting for the city is ongoing. “The fight for Bakhmut and Soledar, for Kreminna and other cities in the east continues,” said the Ukrainian head of state in his daily video address on Friday.
This is thanks in part to two Ukrainian troops. “Thank you to the fighters of the Kraken unit for resolute action to destroy the enemy in the Soledar region,” said Zelenskiy. In Bachmut, on the other hand, he paid tribute to the international legion, a troupe made up of foreign fighters.
“Kraken” soldiers are little brothers of Azov fighters
The Ukrainian fighters of the Kraken unit and the international legion declare war on the cold-blooded Wagner mercenaries of Yevgeny Prigozhin (61).
In view of the bloody actions of the Wagner mercenary group, this should not be an easy task. The unit is said to have sent former prisoners forward for weeks to uncover Ukrainian positions. While the ex-prisoners often paid with their lives, the actual soldiers moved up afterwards.
But who are the special units that take on the tough Wagner fighters? Former Azov fighters formed the Ukrainian Kraken Regiment at the beginning of the Russian invasion. With this, you can see the soldiers of the special unit as little brothers of the Azov mercenaries. The Kraken fight in the shadow of the Ukrainian army: Although they report to the Ministry of Defence, they are not part of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Ultranationalist and far-right members
One of the founders and commander of the secret unit is Konstantin V. Nemitschew (26). According to him, the Kraken are considered one of the best combat units in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Nemitchev, a supporter of the right-wing National Corps party, ran unsuccessfully for Kharkiv mayor last year. Just like the Azov fighters, the Kraken mercenaries are not without controversy. The Washington Post reported this back in June last year.
According to critics, the unit is said to have recruited members from ultra-nationalist and far-right groups. The soldiers themselves, however, dismiss this as Russian propaganda. In addition, the secret unit, which is estimated to have 1,800 soldiers, is also said to have abused Russian prisoners of war.
The International Legion, on the other hand, was created by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for volunteers from abroad.
It remains to be seen whether the Kraken unit and the international legion will succeed in repelling the Russian troops and driving them out of Soledar. Western experts believe that Russia is far from capturing Donbass. The Ukrainian defense lines are still “very stable,” British intelligence wrote in a situation report this week.