The Armed Forces of Ukraine has entered the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region, as confirmed by Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman of the eastern group of Ukrainian defense forces.
"The information you could see in the video with the stela and raising of the flag is true, we are in Lyman already, but the fighting is going on, the details are coming soon," reported Cherevatyi on the situation in the eastern frontline.
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The information was soon reaffirmed by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in his daily address to the nation. However, we should go back to Cherevatyi, since he pointed out an important consequence of this successful operation: the liberation of Lyman will have a strategic significance for the further advance of Ukrainian units.
"We have a few key points here. First, to continue the successful Kharkiv operation. Forces, as a rule, always move while morale is up after a success. Secondly, to capture an important region which opens way to the liberation of the Donbas: further to Svatove, Kreminna, Sievierodonetsk [settlements]," the military official noted.
He also stressed that the encirclement of a large group of enemy forces has an important psychological impact as well, especially since Ukrainian soldiers defeated a strong enemy: "Our forces took over not some kind of [conscripts] but quite a powerful defense, a fierce battle takes place in there. This increases the value of the effort put in it."
According to the following video, recorded in the center of the city, Lyman was liberated by the forces of the 81st Airmobile Brigade (air assault forces) and the Kulchytskyi Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine (gendarmerie).
As follows from various sources, before the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive on Lyman, a group of 5,000 to 5,500 russian manpower was located there. Now, this figure has been reduced – due to casualties and attempts of russians to break free from the encirclement in small groups.
The ministry of defense of the russian federation has even admitted the fact of retreat, describing it as "withdrawal in order to take better positions" because of the threat of envelopment.
Read more: Ukrainian Forces Encircled russian Group of Forces in Lyman, They Try to Break Through
