Ukraine forces pull back from Donbas town after onslaught

By ANDREW MELDRUM
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces say they have conducted an organized retreat from a town in the eastern region of the Donbas, handing the Kremlin’s forces a rare but modest battlefield triumph after a series of setbacks in the invasion that began almost 11 months ago. A Ukrainian military official said Wednesday that the Ukrainian army retreated from Soledar to “preserve the lives of the personnel.”  He said the soldiers moved to previously prepared defense positions. Moscow has portrayed the battle for Soledar, a salt-mining town near the city of Bakhmut, as key to capturing the entire Donbas. The accomplishment takes the Russian forces a step closer to Bakhmut, though military analysts say capturing Soledar is more symbolic than strategic.