The Kremlin’s sham annexation claim has been roundly condemned by the international community.
Video circulating on social media from around midday on Oct. 1 showed Ukrainian troops on the edge of Lyman, and subsequent reports from both Ukrainian and Russian sources said Ukrainian soldiers had been seen in the center of the town.
An important rail junction is located at the town, and by controlling it, Ukraine can cut off another supply route to Russian invasion forces in the east of the country.
Before reports of the liberation of Lyman came in, Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine’s Armed Forces’ eastern division said the surrounding towns of Yampil, Novoselivka, Shandryholove, Drobyshevo, and Stavky in Donetsk Oblast had also been liberated.
He said that stabilization measures are still in process in the area.
Read also: Ukrainian forces will likely capture Lyman within next 72 hours, ISW says
He said that approximately 5,000 Russian troops had been surrounded in the Lyman area. Some have surrendered and many were wounded or killed, but the exact numbers will be made public after the operation.
According to unconfirmed reports in social media, some Russian troops managed to escape encirclement, but it is unknown how many.
“Because of the ongoing operations, (the Russian) troops have suffered losses,” Cherevaty said. “Other units may have attempted to break through to Lyman, but this is still being investigated.”
“The city is significant because it represents yet another step toward the Donbas’s liberation,” added Cherevaty.
“It is an opportunity to go further to Kreminna and Sievierodonetsk. It is also important psychologically.”
The Ukrainian army was reported to have entered the town of Yampil in Donetsk Oblast, about 12 kilometers to the southeast of Lyman, on Sept. 30. A clip showing Ukrainian paratroopers near the village of Drobyshevo, 7 kilometers from Lyman, was later released.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening address on Sept. 30 that Ukrainian troops had made significant gains in the east, particularly near Lyman, Donetsk Oblast.
The Kremlin is yet to react to the liberation of the town. Putin in a speech on Sept. 21 threatened to use nuclear weapons to “protect the territorial integrity of Russia.”
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine