In his October 1 evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy partially confirmed the liberation of the key city of Lyman, Donetsk Oblast:
“During this week, there were more Ukrainian flags in Donbas. It will be even more in a week. […] The Ukrainian flag is already in Lyman, Donetsk region. Fighting is still going on there. But there is no trace of any pseudo-referendum there,” he said.
Earlier today reports emerged that Ukrainian troops were controlling the northern part of Lyman:
Ukrainian troops enter Donetsk’s Lyman as officials confirm liberation of five nearby settlements
Pro-Russian military map maker Rybar in his 15:00 update marked Lyman as abandoned by the Russian forces, while Ukraine’s Defense Ministry wrote that the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces were entering the city:
Ukrainian Air Assault Forces are entering Lyman, Donetsk region. #UAarmy has and will always have the decisive vote in today's and any future "referendums". pic.twitter.com/gGIIk9rNkG
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 1, 2022
According to TASS 16:50 report, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian troops have retreated from Lyman:
“In connection with the threat of encirclement, the allied troops have been withdrawn from Krasnyi Lyman to more advantageous lines, the Russian Defense Ministry said,” according to TASS.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry ridiculed its Russian counterpart by thanking for “Izium 2.0” referring to the Lyman operation as the repetition of the Izium-Kupiansk offensive that took place in early September:
We thank the “Ministry of Defense” of 🇷🇺 for successful cooperation in organizing the "Izyum 2.0" exercise. Almost all russian troops deployed to Lyman were successfully redeployed either into body bags or into 🇺🇦 captivity. We have one question for you: Would you like a repeat? pic.twitter.com/wmPi2LJROw
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1576307574298886154
