Russia has withdrawn its troops from the strategic Ukrainian town of Lyman, in a move seen as a significant setback for its campaign in the east. The retreat came amid fears thousands of soldiers would be encircled in the town, Russia’s defence ministry said.
Recapturing Lyman could let Ukrainian soldiers reach more contested territory in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenky said on Sunday the town had been “completely cleared” of Russian troops. Video footage shared online on Saturday – before the Russian retreat was announced – showed Ukrainian soldiers waving their national flag on the outskirts of the town.
Lyman had been used as a logistics hub by Russia, making its recapture all the more significant to Ukrainian forces.
The battlefield setback prompted the Chechen leader and hardline Moscow ally, Ramzan Kadyrov, to comment that Russia should consider using low-yield nuclear weapons in the face of such defeats.
Lyman is in Donetsk – one of four partially-occupied Ukrainian regions which Russia declared it was annexing on Friday. Ukraine and its Western allies have dismissed the move as an illegal land-grab.
Credit: bbc.com
