Zelenskiy: Lyman ‘Fully Cleared' Of Russian Forces

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine had “fully cleared” Russian forces from the key eastern city of Lyman a day after Moscow admitted its troops had pulled out after they were encircled.

- Luke Harding

In a video clip on his Telegram channel, Zelenskiy thanked Ukrainian troops for liberating Lyman. “As of 12.30 [Kyiv] local time Lyman is completely cleared,” he said, adding: “Glory to Ukraine.”

Earlier Zelenskiy said the army would continue its offensive in the south and east and would “return back” all of the territory occupied by Russia, including Crimea. He suggested Russian generals were now “biting each other” after a series of embarrassing setbacks.

Their loss of Lyman four months after Russian forces seized the city in Donetsk oblast amounts to a humiliating moment for Vladimir Putin. On Friday, in a move that was rejected by the international community, he had annexed Donetsk together with three other Ukrainian regions, and said they were a part of Russia “forever”.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s armed forces would continue to advance. He predicted more “mismatches” between Putin’s rhetoric and the reality on the battlefield. Reports suggested Ukrainian troops were pushing forward from Lyman towards the cities of Svatove and Kreminna.