An encirclement of Russian forces near Lyman, an occupied town in Ukraine's northeast, is "at the final stage," a military spokesperson said, as Ukrainian troops moved to surround the region from all fronts.
Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for eastern Ukrainian forces, made the remarks Friday, as a senior Russian-backed official acknowledged that Russian troops are "half encircled" in the strategic city in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
"All the approaches and logistic routes of the enemy, through which they delivered ammunition and manpower, are in fact under fire control [of Ukraine]," said Cherevatyi.
Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed governor in the Donetsk region, said Lyman is "partially surrounded."
"The Svatove road is under our control, but under fire periodically," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
The United States-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank meanwhile assessed that Ukrainian troops have likely nearly completed the encirclement of the Russian grouping in Lyman, and cut critical ground lines of communication (GLOCS) that support Russian troops in the Drobysheve-Lyman area.
The key supply hub was seized by Russian forces in May, three months after President Vladmir Putin's war against Ukraine began. The city is a key railway junction, and Ukrainian forces may be able to use the area to press on with their successful counteroffensive in the east.
Should Ukraine succeed in recapturing Lyman, it would serve as a huge blow to Putin, who on Friday illegally proclaimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
"I want the authorities in Kyiv and their real overlords in the West to hear me: The residents of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson are becoming our citizens," Putin said on Friday. "Forever."
Neil Melvin, director of International Security Studies at British defense and security think tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told Newsweek that Ukrainian success in surrounding Russian forces in Lyman would be the second major Ukrainian victory on that front in a month.
It challenges Russian positions in Donetsk and Luhansk, despite Putin's claims to have annexed these areas, opening the way for further territorial gains for Kyiv, said Melvin.
"It demonstrates that Ukraine is fighting in a sophisticated way that successfully combines different parts of its armed forces with good tactical planning," he added. "This will likely bring further successes for Ukraine before the winter, especially given the poor state and leadership of Russian forces."
Echoing Melvin's remarks, Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at RUSI, said Ukrainian success in encircling the Russian forces at Lyman is militarily significant in terms of further progress into the Luhansk region before winter, "unhinging another key Russian position."
"It is also politically embarrassing for Putin on the day of his annexation announcement," Bronk said.
"More significantly, perhaps, will be the potential role effects on already shaken morale among Russian troops elsewhere in Ukraine, assuming the encirclement results in large scale Russian personnel and materiel losses on top of those suffered in Kharkiv oblast over the past month," he added.
A successful lightning counteroffensive by Ukraine earlier this month saw Kyiv recapture large swathes of its territory from Russia.
Ukrainian forces say they took back more than 3,000 square miles from Russian forces in less than two weeks, recapturing towns and cutting off Russian supply lines.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's foreign ministry for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
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