02 October 2022, Sunday, 12:48 1353

Loss Of Lyman - Significant Political Failure Of Russia - British Intelligence

Редактор: Tetiana Herasimova

Russian forces finally lost control of the strategically important city of Lyman, Donetsk Region, this another failure of the Russian Federation will increase pressure on the command of the Russian army.

This is stated in Sunday's intelligence operational update of the British Ministry of Defense.

It estimates that Lyman was defended by understaffed units of the Western and Central Military Districts of Russia, as well as contingents of voluntarily mobilized reservists.

“The force probably experienced heavy casualties as it withdrew along the only road out of the town still in Russian hands,” the review added.

British intelligence explains that operationally, Lyman is important, since control of it means control of a key crossing over the Siverskyi Donets River, behind which Russia has been attempting to consolidate its defences.

“Russia’s withdrawal from Lyman also represents a significant political setback given that it is located within Donetsk Oblast, a region Russia supposedly aimed to ‘liberate’ and has attempted to illegally annex,” the operational update adds.

British intelligence notes that the withdrawal of Russian troops from Lyman led to a further wave of public criticism of the military leadership of the Russian Federation by individual officials. And further losses of territory in illegally occupied territories “will almost certainly lead to an intensification of this public criticism and increase the pressure on senior commanders.”

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on Saturday the head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak, said that the Ukrainian military planted the Ukrainian flag at the entrance to the city of Lyman, Donetsk Region and published a corresponding video.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that although fighting is still ongoing in Lyman, there is no trace of the Russian pseudo-referendum.