Ukrainian pre-slush in Donetsk: flags over Lyman

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Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian President's chief of staff, published this video on his Twitter channel on Saturday.

The footage is said to show Ukrainian forces in the city of Lyman.

Original sound:

"First of October.

We unfurl our national flag and wave it on our land.

Lyman belongs to the Ukraine.”

Kyiv reported on Saturday that the Ukrainian military had surrounded thousands of Russian soldiers in the strategically important city in northern Donetsk.

At first it was said that the fighting continued.

On Saturday afternoon, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Lyman had been abandoned.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy already mentioned the advance in Lyman in a speech on Friday.

Voldymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine:

“We are making significant progress in the east of our country.

There are enough reports about it in public.

Everyone has heard what is happening in Lyman, Donetsk region.

These are achievements that are of great importance to us.

And thank you to all of our soldiers for completing this portion of our defense plan.

This is very important."

Only on Friday did Russian President Vladimir Putin announce the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk and other Ukrainian regions to Russia.

Before a concert in Moscow celebrating the annexation of the occupied territories on Red Square, the head of the Kremlin once again questioned Ukrainian statehood.

According to Putin, Russia created the modern Ukrainian state.

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia:

“We've gotten stronger because we're together.

The truth is on our side.

And the strength is in the truth, which is victory.

Victory will be ours.«

It was estimated that Russia had around 5,000 troops stationed in Lyman and used the city as a logistics and transport hub for its operations in the north of the Donetsk region.

It is unclear how many soldiers are still on site.

Taking Lyman is a major setback for Putin.

A Ukrainian military spokesman said on Saturday that control of the city would allow Kyiv to advance into the Luhansk region.