Russian forces retreated from Lyman, a strategic city for its operations in the east, the Russian defense ministry said Saturday, according to CNN.
“In connection with the creation of a threat of encirclement, allied troops were withdrawn from the settlement of Krasny Liman to more advantageous lines,” the ministry said on Telegram, using the Russian name for the town of Lyman, CNN said.
CNN reported Russian state media Russia-24 as saying that the reason for Russia’s withdrawal was because “the enemy used both Western-made artillery and intelligence from North Atlantic alliance countries.”
The retreat marks Ukraine’s most significant gain since its successful counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region last month.
Russia Today confirmed the retreat and said that Russian troops and the Donbas militias have had to withdraw from their defensive positions in the city of Krasny Lyman as Ukrainian forces mounted a large-scale offensive targeting the area, citing the Russian Defense Ministry as confirming in a statement on Saturday.
MNA/PR