Ukrainian forces declare victory in Lyman – NRK Oryx – Foreign news and documentaries

– At 12.30 the Lyman is completely cleaned. Thank our soldiers. Glory to Ukraine, Zelensky said in a short video address posted on the Telegram messaging service on Sunday.

On Saturday night, the Deputy Chief of Staff released a video in which Ukrainian soldiers announced that they were in control of the entire Lyman.

Soldiers stood in front of the city’s town hall, carrying Ukrainian flags. The Russian flag, which had been flown since the fall of the city at the end of May, was thrown to the ground.

“Dear Ukrainians! Today, the Ukrainian armed forces liberated and took control of the town of Lyman in the Donetsk region, “said one of the soldiers in the video.”

surrounded by russian soldiers

The news came, on Saturday morning, that the Ukrainian forces had surrounded the Russian forces, whose strength ranged between 5,000 and 5,500 soldiers, in and around Lyman.

A few hours later, news came that Ukrainian soldiers were about to enter the city itself.

Then a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian soldiers had withdrawn, fearing the danger of being surrounded.

Lyman is located in the north of Donetsk province, which is One of four regions Russia forcibly annexed on Friday to the Russian Federation.

The city is a strategic and important crossroads, due in part to its extensive rail network.

Since they took control of the area in May, Russian forces have used it as a treasureA front-end logistics and transportation center for its operations in North Donetsk.

The flag planted on the city limits

One of the first visual evidence that Ukraine was in the process of successfully retaking the region was a video clip released by President Zelensky’s Chief of Staff on Saturday morning.

Footage showed Ukrainian soldiers climbing into a military vehicle with the Ukrainian flag next to city signs.

– It’s October 1. We raise our flag and plant it on our soil. Lyman would be Ukrainian, he heard one of the soldiers say.

The video must have been recorded on one of the city’s north entrance roads.

– The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced on Twitter a little later that the Ukrainian forces had captured Lyman in the Donetsk region.

Five villages were captured

The spokesman for the Eastern forces, Sergei Sherivatizh, told the Ukrainian newspaper Okins Spiel – before the news arrived from Lyman – that the Ukrainian forces had liberated five villages in the area: Gambil, Novosilivka, Shandrigolovo, Drubishev and Stavki.

Sherevatige also said that the number of Russian soldiers ready to fight had decreased.

– Someone tried to break through our barriers. Some give up. The spokesman said that they have many dead and wounded.

The Ukrainian governor of neighboring Luhansk province, Serhiy Hajjaj, told Reuters news agency that the Russian soldiers must have asked the Ukrainian authorities for a safe exit from Lyman, but they refused.

What happens to the Russian soldiers is not clear.

Prohibited supply routes

Early on Friday morning, there was the first report of a large Russian force being surrounded outside the city.

– The situation is still difficult. Denis Pushlin told the Russian news agency “RIA Novosti” that our people are holding together with the strength of another.

Putin is the leader of the self-proclaimed, Russia-backed Donetsk People’s Republic.

He stressed that the Ukrainian government forces are regaining control over the villages in the area. Several pro-Russian military bloggers also mentioned the fierce fighting that was taking place.

By noon Friday, all supply routes used by the Russians to supply ammunition and reinforcements were closed, according to Ukrainian military sources.

And on Friday evening, the Ukrainian president said in his video address that important victories were achieved in the battles against Russian forces in and around Lyman, without giving any details.

No more troops to deploy

Lieutenant-Colonel and Professor at the Norwegian Defense Academy Tormod Heyer believes that the Russian soldiers in and around Lyman must have been quite alone.

– There could not have been large Russian forces in the rear, because they would have come to the rescue of the main forces. What we see may mean that the Russian logistical support apparatus may be on the edge of the abyss.

Russian forces are generally exhausted. Heier tells NRK that they lack comfort kits, weapons, and parts.

British intelligence believed that the forces holding Lyman were understaffed and consisted of soldiers from Russia’s Western and Central Military Districts as well as volunteer reservists. And they suffered heavy losses during the withdrawal.

“The force likely incurred heavy losses when it retreated on the only road outside the city that was still under Russian control,” the Defense Ministry wrote on Sunday morning in its daily update.

Hello, I thinkThe Russians have the ability to “plug the hole” in the strategic area.

The fundamental problems of the Russians cannot be solved in the short term. We are talking about a lack of fighting morale, a lack of effective coordination, a lack of strong leadership and a lack of supply of soldiers.

– The forces present are very few, they have missed a lot and are exhausted, as the presenter explains.

He thinks Russia should think about nuclear weapons

After news that Ukrainian forces were close to entering the Lyman, the authoritarian Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov posted on social media.

Kadyrov says on Telegram that Russia should consider using tactical nuclear weapons.

– My personal opinion is that stricter measures should be implemented, such as imposing a state of emergency in border areas and using tactical nuclear weapons, he said.

Tactical nuclear weapons are smaller than strategic nuclear missiles with large warheads, and contain much less nuclear material.

Tear up Russian defensive positions

If Ukraine manages to retake the Lyman region, it could pave the way for the country’s forces to advance further into Donetsk and the neighboring Luhansk Province.

– Lyman is important because the next step is the liberation of Ukraine’s Donbass (the Ukrainian Donbass region consists of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces) and an opportunity to create an additional bridge to Kremina and Sevgirodontsk, says military spokesman Serge Sherevaty to Ukrainian television, reproduced by Reuters.

The Norwegian Lieutenant Colonel believed that the Ukrainians would advance in a controlled manner.

– Perhaps the Ukrainian forces are careful not to yawn too much. This is to ensure that there is no power vacuum behind the forces at the front. It is important to prevent looting and disturbance, says Turmod Heyer.

Ukrainian government forces shocked Russia with Lightning attack in the Kharkiv region At the beginning of September. Within a few days they recaptured large areas while the Russian front line collapsed. Lyman is located south of the Kharkiv regions.

Heyer says it’s possible Ukrainian forces might try some of the same at Lyman.

It is possible that they will try to use the momentum created now to tear apart the Russian defensive positions. At the same time, the Ukrainians are vulnerable to losses, so the main forces will rely on supplies and artillery coming in at the rear, Heyer says.

Party overwhelmed

News of the fighting around Lyman came at the same time that the Russian authorities were celebrating in Moscow.

Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya It was accepted into the Russian Federation on Friday and announcedRussian tribute. On Sunday, the Russian Constitutional Court declared forced incorporation legal.

Denis Pushlin, the self-proclaimed leader of Donetsk Ukrainian forces “Attempting to obfuscate the historical integration in Russia”.

– Fifthto meRe fighting people. We call reserves and we mto me Persevere, despite the fact that the enemy has deployed large forces against us, he said Puzhilin.

For his part, President Volodymyr Zelensky made it clear that the goal is to restore all the territories occupied by Russia.

– How much does it cost to advance on the ground Ukraine?

The Ukrainian attack claimed many lives on his part. However, Ukraine has widespread mobilization and is encouraged by progress and high fighting spirits, and with Western defense aid they will see this as an acceptable cost.

Ukrainian forces wage war in a more modern way than the Russians, which means they will try to inflict significant damage on the Russians without risking Russian counterattacks, Heyer says.

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