Kyiv: Ukraine President Zelensky on Sundat declared that the city of Lyman is ‘cleared off’ Russian forces that had arrived after the Kremlin had signed annexation agreements of the key eastern regions of Ukraine that as per the referrendums were declared as a part of Russia.
“As of 1230 (0930 GMT), Lyman is fully cleared,” Zelenskiy said in a short video clip on his Telegram channel.
The announcement came a day after the Russian Defence Ministry said that Russian troops and the Donbas militias have pulled out of the city of Krasny Lyman in the Donetsk Oblast amid the emerging threat of encirclement from Ukrainian forces. “Due to the emerging threat of encirclement, the allied troops have withdrawn from the settlement of Krasny Lyman and deployed to more advantageous positions,” Russian media house reported a statement quoted by the Defence Ministry.
The retreat marks Ukraine’s most significant gain since its successful counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region last month.
“[The liberation] of Lyman is important, because it is another step towards the liberation of the Ukrainian Donbas. This is an opportunity to go further to Kreminna and Severodonetsk. Therefore, in turn, it is psychologically very important, Serhii Cherevatyi, the military spokesperson for the eastern grouping of Ukrainian forces said.