Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russia says troops withdrew from Ukraine’s Lyman to avoid encirclement

Russia said on Saturday its troops had withdrawn from the town of Lyman in eastern Ukraine to avoid being surrounded by Ukraine’s army.

“In connection with the creation of a threat of encirclement, allied troops were withdrawn from the settlement of Krasny Liman to more advantageous lines,” the defense ministry said, using the Russian name of the town.

Ukraine’s capture of Lyman, which has served for months as a logistics and transport hub for Russian operations, marked a major defeat for Moscow, a day after President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions. These include Donetsk, where Lyman is located.

The ministry said in a statement that Russia had inflicted serious losses on the Ukrainian forces by launching “massive fire strikes” against them. It did not provide evidence, and the claim could not be independently verified.

“Despite the losses suffered, the enemy, having a significant superiority in forces and means, introduced reserves and continued the offensive in this direction,” it said.