Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced on Sunday that the strategic town of Lyman in the Donetsk region, internationally recognised as part of Ukraine but claimed by Russia, is now completely under the control of the Ukrainian army.
“As of 12:30 local time, Lyman is totally ride (of the Russian army). I give thanks to our soldiers,” the Ukrainian president said in a video posted on social media. Zelenskyy stated that Russian troops had been “completely cleared” from the city, a day after Russian forces claimed that they had “pulled out” of the city in the face of “significant superiority in forces.”
Videos posted on Saturday by Ukrainian forces showed troops waving the Ukrainian flag at the entrance to the city. Russian troops were reportedly given the opportunity to surrender to the Ukrainian army after being completely encircled by Ukrainian advances.
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The capture of the city is a significant achievement for Ukrainian forces. The town served as an important logistic hub for Russian forces in coordinating the northern front of the Donbas theatre of war.
In response to the recapture of the key town, Russia has redoubled its nuclear posturing, with Chechen dictator and pro-Kremlin strongman Ramzan Kadyrov urging the Kremlin to use “low-yield nuclear weapons” against Ukrainian forces.
In a speech on Friday, Zelenskyy was undeterred, stating his intention to “liberate our entire land” from Russian occupation.
