Battle of Lyman (September–October 2022)

{{Main|Battle of Donbas (2022)#Capture of Lyman and Sviatohirsk}}

On 24 March 2022, a month into the Russian invasion of Ukraine,{{Cite news |date=24 February 2022 |title=Putin announces formal start of Russia's invasion in eastern Ukraine |work=Meduza |url=https://meduza.io/en/news/2022/02/24/putin-announces-start-of-military-operation-in-eastern-ukraine |access-date=24 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224033732/https://meduza.io/en/news/2022/02/24/putin-announces-start-of-military-operation-in-eastern-ukraine |archive-date=24 February 2022}} Russia claimed to control 93% of Luhansk Oblast,{{Cite web |title=Russia claims it has taken 93% of territory of Ukraine's Luhansk region - TASS |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-claims-taken-93-territory-131458454.html |date=25 March 2022 |access-date=2022-05-21 |website=finance.yahoo.com |agency=Reuters |language=en-US |archive-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521230957/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-claims-taken-93-territory-131458454.html |url-status=live }} leaving Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk as strategically important Ukrainian holdouts in the area. Russian plans to capture Sievierodonetsk hinged upon its successes in the nearby cities of Rubizhne to the north and Popasna to the south.{{Cite web |title=Russia aims to capture 4 regions in new eastern offensive: Ukraine |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/russia-ukraine-war/russia-aims-to-capture-4-regions-in-new-eastern-offensive-ukraine/2566985 |date=19 April 2022 |access-date=2022-05-21 |website=www.aa.com.tr |archive-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521231001/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/russia-ukraine-war/russia-aims-to-capture-4-regions-in-new-eastern-offensive-ukraine/2566985 |url-status=live }} By 6 April, Russian forces had reportedly captured 60% of Rubizhne,{{Cite news |title=Russian forces control 60% of Rubizhne town in east Ukraine, says governor |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/russian-forces-control-60-of-rubizhne-to-idUSKCN2LY0Y5 |access-date=2022-04-08 |archive-date=1 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601061623/https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/russian-forces-control-60-of-rubizhne-to-idUSKCN2LY0Y5 |url-status=live }} and shells and rockets were landing in Sievierodonetsk at "regular, sustained intervals".{{Cite web |title=Sustained bombardment seen in Severodonetsk: AFP |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/sustained-bombardment-seen-in-severodonetsk-afp-01649240707 |access-date=2022-04-08 |website=www.barrons.com |agency=Agence France-Presse |language=en-US |archive-date=10 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410010426/https://www.barrons.com/news/sustained-bombardment-seen-in-severodonetsk-afp-01649240707 |url-status=live }} Russian forces reportedly seized Rubizhne on 12 May 2022.{{Cite news |last1=Lister |first1=Tim |last2=Kesaieva |first2=Julia |date=13 May 2022 |title=Ukrainian forces lose foothold in eastern town |work=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-05-13-22/h_67faa3f08da188441de767341e390737 |access-date=26 May 2022 |archive-date=13 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513185139/https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-05-13-22/h_67faa3f08da188441de767341e390737 |url-status=live }}

South of Lyman, the battle of the Siverskyi Donets occurred mid-May 2022, with Ukraine repelling multiple Russian attempts to cross the river.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61399440 | title=Bloody river battle was third in three days - Ukraine official | work=BBC News | date=13 May 2022 | access-date=28 May 2022 | archive-date=27 May 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527023840/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61399440 | url-status=live }} Russian forces suffered an estimated 400 to 485 dead and wounded during the attempts.{{cite web|title=Growing evidence of a military disaster on the Donets pierces a pro-Russian bubble|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/world/europe/pro-russian-war-bloggers-kremlin.html|first1=Anton|last1=Troianovski|first2=Marc|last2=Santora|work=The New York Times|date=15 May 2022|access-date=16 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516030015/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/world/europe/pro-russian-war-bloggers-kremlin.html|archive-date=16 May 2022}}{{Cite web |last1=Stepanenko |first1=Kateryna |last2=Kagan |first2=Frederick W. |date=14 May 2022 |title=Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 14 |url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-14 |access-date=17 May 2022 |publisher=Institute for the Study of War |archive-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521113140/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-14 |url-status=live }}

On 27 May, however, Ukrainian Defence Ministry claimed that the battle for control of the city was still ongoing, stating their forces were continuing to hold the southwestern and northeastern districts, while other Ukrainian officials acknowledged most of Lyman, including the city center, was under Russian control.{{Cite web |title=Latest Developments in Ukraine: May 27 |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/latest-developments-in-ukraine-may-27/6591796.html |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=VOA |date=27 May 2022 |language=en |quote=Russian forces in eastern Ukraine captured the centre of the railway hub town of Lyman and encircled most of Sievierodonetsk, Ukrainian officials acknowledged on Friday, as Kyiv's forces fell back in the face of Moscow's biggest advance for weeks, though Ukraine insisted its forces were still holding firm at new defensive lines in the eastern Donbas region, Reuters reported. Ukrainian officials acknowledged that Russia had captured most of Lyman. But the defense ministry said forces were still holding out in northeastern and southwestern districts, blocking the Russians from launching an advance towards Sloviansk, a major city a half-hour drive further southwest. |archive-date=28 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528164138/https://www.voanews.com/a/latest-developments-in-ukraine-may-27/6591796.html |url-status=live }} In addition, the United Kingdom also assessed most of the town had come under Russian control by 27 May.{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/russia-captures-strategically-important-town-183825491.html|title=Russia captures strategically important town ahead of 'next stage' of Ukraine invasion: UK intelligence|website=news.yahoo.com|access-date=1 June 2022|archive-date=30 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530172019/https://news.yahoo.com/russia-captures-strategically-important-town-183825491.html|url-status=live}}

{{See also|2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive}}

On 3 September, Ukrainian forces crossed the Siverskyi Donets River and recaptured Ozerne, which implied "degrading Russian control of the river's left bank east of Sloviansk", according to the Institute for the Study of War.{{Cite web |title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 4 |url=https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-4 |accessdate=2022-09-22 |website=Institute for the Study of War |language=English |archive-date=26 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226003551/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-4 |url-status=live }} On September 5, they entered the village of Staryi Karavan.{{Cite web|title=З'явились підтвердження, що ЗСУ зайшли в Старий Караван на Донеччині|url=http://ukrpohliad.org/news/z-yavylys-pidtverdzhennya-shho-zsu-zajshly-v-staryj-karavan-na-donechchyni.html|website=Український погляд|date=8 September 2022 |accessdate=2022-09-10|language=|archive-date=3 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103130502/http://ukrpohliad.org/news/z-yavylys-pidtverdzhennya-shho-zsu-zajshly-v-staryj-karavan-na-donechchyni.html|url-status=live}}

Amid the 2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive, when Ukraine retook Kupiansk and Izium, Ukraine also claimed it had reached the southern outskirts of Lyman on 10 September.{{Cite web |title=Fighting continues on outskirts of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast, says mayor |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/fighting-continues-outskirts-lyman-donetsk-175100824.html |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=sports.yahoo.com |date=10 September 2022 |language=en |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001232008/https://sports.yahoo.com/fighting-continues-outskirts-lyman-donetsk-175100824.html |url-status=live }} The same day, military equipment was sent to Lyman and battles were fought on the outskirts of the city.{{Cite web|title=ЗСУ переправили техніку, точаться бої за Лиман — соцмережі|url=https://novosti.dn.ua/news/331458-zsu-perepravyly-tehniku-tochatsya-boyi-za-lyman-sotsmerezhi|website=Новини Донбасу|accessdate=2022-09-10|language=|archive-date=3 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103130423/https://novosti.dn.ua/news/331458-zsu-perepravyly-tehniku-tochatsya-boyi-za-lyman-sotsmerezhi|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=За Лиман на Донеччині тривають бої – мер|url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/09/10/7366944/|website=Українська правда|accessdate=2022-09-10|language=|archive-date=3 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103135725/https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/09/10/7366944/|url-status=live}} Igor Girkin reported that the Russian army had retreated and units from the LPR and DPR forces were defending forested areas near Lyman.{{Cite web|title="Мурз" (а ему можно верить) сообщает о ситуации под Лиманом|url=https://t.me/strelkovii/3211|website=Telegram|accessdate=2022-09-10|language=ru|archive-date=22 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922043830/https://t.me/strelkovii/3211|url-status=live}} It was later claimed that the Russian troops garrisoning Lyman had not been properly supplied and reinforced by the region's leading Russian commander, Alexander Lapin.

Ukrainian forces were moving to encircle Lyman from the south, east, west and northwest, and later north, while Russian forces identified the Russian defenders of Lyman as BARS-13 and BARS-16 detachments (the latter of which is known as the "Kuban" detachment), which are sub-battalion formations comprising Russian reservists from the Russian Special Combat Army Reserve.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 24|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-24|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-24|language=English|archive-date=27 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927121541/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-24|url-status=live}} BARS-13 commander Sergei Fomchenkov publicly warned that his troops' position was "extremely difficult", but initially expressed the belief that the city could be held.

File:Map of the Second Battle of Lyman 2022.svg

On 12 September, Ukrainian forces liberated the town of Sviatohirsk.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 12|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-12|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-22|archive-date=26 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926105106/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-12|url-status=live}}

On 15 September, Ukrainian forces retook Sosnove, forcing the small Russian force in the nearby Studenok, a settlement in Kharkiv Oblast east of the Oskil River, to withdraw to avoid encirclement.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 15|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-15|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-22|archive-date=26 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926004005/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-15|url-status=live}}

On 17 September, Ukrainian forces liberated the town of Shchurove, 6 km southwest of Lyman.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 17|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-17|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-22|archive-date=22 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922205521/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-17|url-status=live}}

The other direction was east and engaged in fierce battles in nearby Yarova by 19 September; with Russian military bloggers reporting fighting in Drobysheve on 21 September.{{Cite web|title= RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 21|url= https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-21|website= Institute for the Study of War|accessdate= 2022-09-22|archive-date= 22 September 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220922233819/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-21|url-status= live}}

File:An RF-81852 Sukhoi Су-34 destroyed at Lyman, after the Russian withdrawal.jpg, registered RF-81852, pictured after the Russian withdrawal.]]

Yatskivka and Korovii Yar came under Ukrainian control by 22 September,{{Cite web|title= RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 22|url= https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-22|website= Institute for the Study of War|accessdate= 2022-09-22|archive-date= 25 September 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220925162248/https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-22|url-status= live}} as Ukrainian forces inched closer to the administrative border of Donetsk Oblast and Kharkiv Oblast as well as Luhansk Oblast.

The same day, several Russian sources reported fighting to the northwest of Lyman and claimed that Ukrainian troops penetrated Russian defenses in Ridkodub and Karpivka, both 20 km north of Lyman.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 22|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-22|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-22|archive-date=25 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925162248/https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-22|url-status=live}}

By 24–25 September, Ukrainian forces tried to push south from the Ridkodub-Nove line.

By 24 September, Russian military bloggers were reporting that Ukrainian forces had taken control of half of Novoselivka, 10 km northwest of Lyman; by 28 September, the Ukrainian 81st Brigade, along with the National Guard, fully liberated Novoselivka and advanced further south and east towards Lyman.

By 27 September, some Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage groups had been witnessed in Torske and Yampil, 14 km northeast and 13 km southeast of Lyman, respectively.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 27|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-27|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-28|archive-date=9 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209080829/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-27|url-status=live}}

By 28 September, Ukrainian forces had recaptured Karpivka, Nove, Ridkodub, and Novoselivka in Donetsk Oblast, and were advancing eastward to liberate Katerynivka.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 25|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-25|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-25|archive-date=27 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927121435/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-25|url-status=live}} It was also reported that Ukrainian forces had liberated Zelena Dolyna, about 15 km north of Lyman. Geolocated combat footage corroborated claims made by Russian milbloggers that Ukrainians took control of Zelena Dolyna and pushed east to take control of Kolodiazi (11 km northeast of Lyman).

On 28 September, several Russian sources reported that Ukrainian troops pushed southeast of Kolodiazi (which is north of Lyman) and were fighting on the outskirts of Torske, 12 km northeast of Lyman. Some Russian milbloggers also claimed that Ukrainian troops accumulated near Yampil (13 km southeast of Lyman) and broke through Russian defensive lines there to push towards Torske from the southwest. Some milbloggers were concerned that Svatove-Lyman road, a critical ground line of communication (GLOC) for the Russian grouping in Lyman, could be severed at any time by Ukrainian forces, thus finishing the encirclement of Russian troops in Lyman.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 28|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-28|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-28|archive-date=28 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928235431/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-28|url-status=live}}

On 29 September, a prominent Russian milblogger reported that Ukrainian forces broke through Russian defenses around {{Ill|Stavky (Kramatorsk district)|lt=Stavky|uk|Ставки (Краматорський район)}}, 10 km north of Lyman, and cut the Torske-Drobysheve road, the last supply and egress route for Russian elements holding the line west of Lyman. Another Russian milblogger, Rybar, pointed out that Ukrainian troops were attacking Lyman from three directions and had cut Russian access to the critical Svatove-Lyman road, the major ground line of communication (GLOC) sustaining the Russian grouping within Lyman itself.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 29|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-29|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-30|archive-date=2 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002004452/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-29|url-status=live}}

On 30 September, Russian sources indicated that Ukrainian forces had recaptured Stavky and severed the Drobysheve-Torske road, causing the Russian military to abandon Drobysheve.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 30|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-29|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-30|archive-date=2 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002004452/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-29|url-status=live}}

By 30 September, a Russian war correspondent reported that the last highway into Lyman had been cut off by Ukrainian forces, calling the situation "extremely difficult" for the Russian soldiers there,{{cite news |last1=Malsin |first1=Jared |title=Ukrainian Forces Move to Surround Russian Troops in Key City as Putin Lays Clai |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-attack-kills-dozens-of-civilians-in-ukraine-hours-before-planned-annexations-11664531345 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=30 September 2022 |publisher=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=30 September 2022 |archive-date=29 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029165453/https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-attack-kills-dozens-of-civilians-in-ukraine-hours-before-planned-annexations-11664531345 |url-status=live }} and pointed out then "elements of the BARS-13 detachment and the 752nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 20th Combined Arms Army, which are reportedly defending around Drobysheve and into Lyman."{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 29|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-29|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-30|language=English|archive-date=2 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002004452/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-29|url-status=live}}

On 30 September, Ukrainian forces liberated Yampil, and engaged in fierce battle around Zarichne-Torske area. Some Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces had crossed the Siverskyi Donets River in Dronivka and were operating in the forests south of Kreminna, and Russian sources uniformly noted that Ukrainian artillery continued to interdict Russian forces’ single remaining egress route on the Kreminna-Torske road.{{Cite web|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 30|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-30|website=Institute for the Study of War|accessdate=2022-09-30|archive-date=6 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006132937/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-30|url-status=live}}

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy spoke of progress around Lyman in a video address on 30 September. He thanked Ukrainian troops for the liberation of Yampil, to the southeast and Drobysheve, to the northwest of the city.{{cite news |title=Ukraine says troops closing in on key Russian-held stronghold of Lyman |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-says-it-reclaims-village-near-russian-held-stronghold-lyman-2022-09-30/ |website=www.reuters.com |date=30 September 2022 |agency=Reuters |access-date=30 September 2022 |archive-date=27 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127012635/https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-says-it-reclaims-village-near-russian-held-stronghold-lyman-2022-09-30/ |url-status=live }}

On 1 October Ukrainian troops raised the Ukrainian flag at an entrance sign to Lyman, after the Russian troops claimed to have withdrawn. It was initially reported that up to 5,000 Russian troops remained trapped inside.{{cite web |last1=Abdul |first1=Geneva |last2=Murray |first2=Warren |title=Ukrainian forces enter Lyman |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/oct/01/russia-ukraine-war-ukrainians-advance-on-lyman-after-putins-annexations-live |website=www.theguardian.com |date=October 2022 |publisher=Guardian News and Media Ltd. |access-date=1 October 2022 |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001061317/https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/oct/01/russia-ukraine-war-ukrainians-advance-on-lyman-after-putins-annexations-live |url-status=live }} The Russian defence ministry confirmed that its forces had lost control of Lyman later that afternoon.{{Cite news |title=Война в Украине: ВСУ вошли в Лиман, в Харьковской области нашли расстрелянную автоколонну - Новости на русском языке |url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/live/news-62949139 |access-date=2022-10-01 |website=BBC News Русская служба |language=ru-RU |archive-date=27 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927035522/https://www.bbc.com/russian/live/news-62949139 |url-status=live }} According to Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern forces, the Russian forces were surrounded. He said that the capture of Lyman was important because "it is the next step towards liberation of the Ukrainian Donbas". The gains came a day after Russian president Putin proclaimed at a ceremony in Moscow, that the occupied regions of Ukraine, including the Donbas, were now Russian. Retired US general Ben Hodges said "This puts in bright lights that his claim is illegitimate and cannot be enforced".{{cite news |last1=Balmforth |first1=Tom |last2=Polityuk |first2=Pavel |title=Ukraine forces enter Lyman, Kyiv says Russian troops surrounded |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-encircles-russian-forces-around-lyman-stronghold-military-2022-10-01/ |website=www.reuters.com |date=October 2022 |agency=Reuters |access-date=1 October 2022 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115131136/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-encircles-russian-forces-around-lyman-stronghold-military-2022-10-01/ |url-status=live }}

Later on 1 October, Russian sources stated that their troops had withdrawn from Lyman toward the east, including Kreminna. Ukrainian sources later concurred that most of the Russian garrison had pulled out, though some troops had been left behind and were mopped up by the advancing Ukrainians.{{cite web |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russians-lyman-surrounded/32060705.html |title=Russia Withdraws Forces From Lyman In Major Victory For Ukraine |work=RFE/RL |date=1 October 2022 |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002012338/https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russians-lyman-surrounded/32060705.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/01/world/russia-ukraine-war-news |title=Russian Forces Retreat From Lyman |work=New York Times |date=1 October 2022 |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002010601/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/01/world/russia-ukraine-war-news |url-status=live }} The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence estimated that the Russian forces had taken "heavy" losses during their hasty retreat to escape the encirclement. Following the battle, British intelligence assessed that the Russian forces defending the town were a mixed group of mobilized reservists and depleted professional troops.{{Cite web |last=Atlamazoglou |first=Stavros |title=As Ukrainian forces recaptured key town, elite Russian unit appears to have gone through 'the meat grinder' |url=https://www.businessinsider.co.za/russian-spetsnaz-special-forces-unit-heavy-losses-in-lyman-ukraine-2022-11 |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US |archive-date=28 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228180434/https://www.businessinsider.co.za/russian-spetsnaz-special-forces-unit-heavy-losses-in-lyman-ukraine-2022-11 |url-status=live }} Based on social media messages and announcements of combat losses, the BBC assessed that the 1,600-strong 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade suffered its worst casualties to date during fighting in Lyman, with the possibility that 75% of its reconnaissance company troops were lost.{{cite news | author= | title=Elite Russian Intelligence Unit Suffers Major Losses in Ukraine – BBC | website=The Moscow Times | date=5 October 2022 | url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/10/05/elite-russian-intelligence-unit-suffers-major-losses-in-ukraine-bbc-a78980 | access-date=6 October 2022 | archive-date=6 October 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006071419/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/10/05/elite-russian-intelligence-unit-suffers-major-losses-in-ukraine-bbc-a78980 | url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htsf/20120606.aspx |title=Special Operations: Russia Rebuilds Its Commando Force |publisher=Strategypage.com |date=2012-06-06 |accessdate=2022-03-16 |archive-date=15 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415202537/http://strategypage.com/htmw/htsf/20120606.aspx |url-status=live }} A significant number of fleeing Russian troops were trapped in a smaller pocket east of the city. Some Russian contingents had also lost contact to their main force, and hid in the nearby forests.{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-russian-troops-flee-lyman-ukrainians-rejoiceand-help-themselves-to-russian-supplies-11664719877 |title=As Russian Troops Flee Lyman, Ukrainians Rejoice—and Help Themselves to Russian Supplies |author=Yaroslav Trofimov |work=WSJ |date=2 October 2022 |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002184417/https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-russian-troops-flee-lyman-ukrainians-rejoiceand-help-themselves-to-russian-supplies-11664719877 |url-status=live }}

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on 2 October that Lyman had been "fully cleared".{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-02/ukraine-latest-russia-probably-had-heavy-casualties-in-retreat |title=Ukraine Latest: Zelenskiy Says Key Town of Lyman 'Fully Cleared' |work=Bloomberg News |date=2 October 2022 |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002185111/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-02/ukraine-latest-russia-probably-had-heavy-casualties-in-retreat |url-status=live }}

File:Exhumation in Lyman (2022-10-09) 01.jpg, 9 October]]

{{Main article|Luhansk Oblast campaign}}

Ukraine regained an important railroad hub, allowing mop-up operations in northern Donetsk Oblast (on the left side of the Siverskyi Donets river).{{Cite web |title=Russia withdraws its troops from key city as Ukrainian forces close in - National {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9169383/russia-ukraine-war-annexation-nato/ |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=Global News |language=en-US |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002104954/https://globalnews.ca/news/9169383/russia-ukraine-war-annexation-nato/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last1=Gibbons-Neff |first1=Thomas |last2=Kramer |first2=Andrew E. |last3=Troianovski |first3=Anton |last4=Porter |first4=Catherine |date=2022-10-01 |title=Ukraine Forces Retake Lyman, a Strategic City, as Russians Retreat |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/01/world/europe/lyman-ukraine-russia.html |access-date=2022-10-02 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002145218/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/01/world/europe/lyman-ukraine-russia.html |url-status=live }} The recapture of Lyman also dealt a blow to the legitimacy of the Russian annexation of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts on 30 September 2022, and opened the doors to possible northward and eastward advance to Svatove and Kreminna.{{cite news |last1=Srivastava |first1=Mehul |last2=Seddon |first2=Max |title=Ukrainians vow to push past Lyman as pressure grows on Putin |url=https://www.ft.com/content/c3c4d6e4-2b91-4065-97a6-70c5daaf2516 |newspaper=Financial Times |date=2 October 2022 |publisher=The Financial Times Ltd. |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002115321/https://www.ft.com/content/c3c4d6e4-2b91-4065-97a6-70c5daaf2516 |url-status=live }}

Journalist Harald Stutte described the Ukrainian recapture of Lyman by means of a pincer movement and encirclement of Russian forces as a "tactical masterstroke" and Valerii Zaluzhnyi's "third important victory" after the failure of Russian operations in northern Ukraine and the Kharkiv counteroffensive.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnd.de/politik/narrte-putin-drei-mal-walerij-saluschnyj-chef-der-ukrainischen-armee-6TP7GDQWDFGSHFV3BV7GDOKVSA.html |title=Der General, der Putins Armee drei Mal narrte |author=Harald Stutte |work=RND |language=German |date=4 October 2022 |access-date=5 October 2022 |archive-date=5 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005220349/https://www.rnd.de/politik/narrte-putin-drei-mal-walerij-saluschnyj-chef-der-ukrainischen-armee-6TP7GDQWDFGSHFV3BV7GDOKVSA.html |url-status=live }}

On 7 October 2022, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko and Ukrinform stated that a mass grave containing about 180 bodies had been found in Lyman. The exact number, identities (military or civilian) and causes of death of the people were not yet known.{{Cite news |title=Ukrainian authorities find mass grave in liberated eastern town -governor |author=David Ljunggren, Chris Reese and CynthiaOsterman |work=Reuters |date=7 October 2022 |access-date=8 October 2022 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/ukrainian-authorities-find-mass-grave-liberated-eastern-town-governor-2022-10-07/ |archive-date=7 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007234353/https://www.reuters.com/world/ukrainian-authorities-find-mass-grave-liberated-eastern-town-governor-2022-10-07/ |url-status=live }} On 20 October, Donetsk Oblast Police Department reported that the bodies of 111 civilians and 35 soldiers were found in a mass burial site consisting of trenches, with some graves unmarked.{{Cite news |url=https://kyivindependent.com/news-feed/police-146-bodies-found-at-mass-burial-site-in-liberated-lyman |title=Police: 146 bodies found at mass burial site in liberated Lyman |author=The Kyiv Independent news desk |work=The Kyiv Independent |date=20 October 2022 |access-date=21 October 2022 |archive-date=20 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020170242/https://kyivindependent.com/news-feed/police-146-bodies-found-at-mass-burial-site-in-liberated-lyman |url-status=live }} At the time, the police said '58 mass burial sites [had] been found in the liberated settlements of Donetsk Oblast', 25 of which were located in Lyman.

• Outline of the Russo-Ukrainian War

{{reflist}}

{{2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyman, Battle of}}

Category:Battles of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022

Category:Battles of the war in Donbas

Category:Battles of the Eastern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Battle

Category:September 2022 in Ukraine

Category:October 2022 in Ukraine

Category:Mass graves in Ukraine

Category:Donetsk Oblast in the Russian invasion of Ukraine