Ukraine celebrates capturing key city, Vladimir Putin ally mulls doable nuclear response

Ukrainian troops mentioned they’d taken the important thing bastion of Lyman in occupied jap Ukraine, a stinging defeat that prompted an in depth ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin to name for the doable use of low-grade nuclear weapons.

The seize on Saturday got here only a day after Putin proclaimed the annexation of practically a fifth of Ukraine – together with Donetsk, the place Lyman is positioned – and positioned the areas below Russia’s nuclear umbrella. Kyiv and the West condemned the ornate ceremony as an illegitimate farce.

Ukrainian troopers introduced the seize in a video recorded outdoors the city council constructing within the centre of Lyman and posted on social media by Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s workplace.

“Dear Ukrainians – today the armed forces of Ukraine … liberated and took control of the settlement of Lyman, Donetsk region,” one of many troopers says. At the top of the video, a gaggle of troopers throw Russian flags down from the constructing’s roof and lift a Ukrainian flag of their place.

Hours earlier, Russia’s defence ministry had introduced it was pulling troops out of the world “in connection with the creation of a threat of encirclement”.

Russia had used Lyman as a logistics and transport hub for its operations within the north of the Donetsk area. Its seize is Ukraine’s largest battlefield acquire because the lightning counteroffensive within the northeastern Kharkiv area final month.

Seeking to capitalise on Ukraine’s current beneficial properties, Zelenskiy promised extra fast successes within the Donbas, which covers the Donetsk and Luhansk areas which are largely below Russian management.

Military uniform lays subsequent to an deserted Russian infantry preventing automobile BMD-4 within the village of Kurylivka, amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine, in Kharkiv area, Ukraine. (REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi)

“Over the past week, the number of Ukrainian flags in Donbas has increased. There will be even more a week’s time,” the president mentioned in a night video handle.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin cheered Lyman’s seize, saying it could create new issues for Russia’s navy. “We’re very encouraged by what we’re seeing right now,” Austin informed a information convention on Saturday.

Austin famous that Lyman was positioned throughout provide strains that Russia has used to push its troops and materiel right down to the south and to the west, because the Kremlin presses its greater than seven-month-long invasion of Ukraine.

“Without those routes, it will be more difficult. So it presents a sort of a dilemma for the Russians going forward.”

Austin didn’t say whether or not he thought Ukraine’s seize of Lyman would possibly immediate Russian escalation, though U.S. officers have broadly denounced Russia’s nuclear rhetoric in current days and President Joe Biden has publicly urged Putin to not use nuclear weapons.

Ukraine’s successes have infuriated Putin allies akin to Ramzan Kadyrov, the chief of Russia’s southern Chechnya area.

“In my personal opinion, more drastic measures should be taken, right up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram earlier than Zelenskiy spoke.

Other prime officers, together with former President Dmitry Medvedev, have instructed Russia might must resort to nuclear weapons, however Kadyrov’s name was essentially the most pressing and specific.

An area resident rides a bicycle previous deserted Russian tanks within the village of Kurylivka, amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine, in Kharkiv area, Ukraine. (REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi)

Putin mentioned final week that he was not bluffing when he mentioned he was ready to defend Russia’s “territorial integrity” with all obtainable means, and on Friday made clear this prolonged to the brand new areas claimed by Moscow.

Washington says it could reply decisively to any use of nuclear weapons.

Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s jap forces, mentioned earlier than the seize that Russia had 5,000 to five,500 troops at Lyman however the quantity encircled may very well be decrease.

Reuters couldn’t confirm both aspect’s battlefield assertions.

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Ukraine says taking Lyman will enable it to advance into the Luhansk area, whose full seize Moscow introduced in early July after weeks of grinding advances.

“Lyman is important because it is the next step towards the liberation of the Ukrainian Donbas,” Cherevatyi mentioned. “It is an opportunity to go further to Kreminna and Sievierodonetsk, and it is psychologically very important.”

The Donbas has been a significant focus for Russia since quickly it launched the invasion on Feb. 24 that Putin calls a “special military operation” to demilitarise and “denazify” its smaller neighbour.

The areas Putin claimed as Russian – the Donbas areas of Donetsk and Luhansk and the southern areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – type a swath of territory equal to about 18% of Ukraine’s complete floor land space. Kyiv vowed to proceed liberating its land of Russian forces.

Retired U.S. Army General Ben Hodges mentioned a Russian defeat in Lyman represented a significant political and navy embarrassment for Putin.

“This puts in bright lights that his claim is illegitimate and cannot be enforced,” he mentioned.

Germany mentioned it’ll ship the primary of 4 superior IRIS-T air defence programs to Ukraine in coming days to assist keep at bay drone assaults.