Russian troops forced to withdraw from the eastern Ukrainian town of Lyman

Ukrainian troops have launched a full-scale counterattack to retake the eastern territory of Lyman, a major setback for Russia’s campaign in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on October 2nd that the city of Lyman had been “completely cleared” of Russian troops. Retaking Lyman would allow Ukrainian soldiers to reach more occupied areas such as Donetsk and the Luhansk regions.

Lyman was used by Russia as a logistics hub, and its strategic location is even more important for the Ukrainian army.

Lyman is in Donetsk, one of four partially occupied Ukrainian regions that Russia claimed to annex on September 30th. Ukraine and its Western allies have deemed the move an illegal land-grab by the Russians. Shortly after annexing the area, the Kremlin said it would use its Soviet-era name, Krasnyi (Red) Lyman. The withdrawal of Russian troops from the town was seen as a major military victory for the Ukrainians.

Kyiv is currently gaining momentum in the war and has vowed to take a counter-offensive to reclaim all occupied territories. In a speech on Friday, Zelenskyy said efforts to liberate Ukraine would prove that international law cannot be violated.

Many Ukrainian cities are in ruins. Innocent people including children have lost their lives. Millions of Ukrainians have lost their homes. Putin’s Russian government is responsible for all these humanitarian disasters, and its assault on humanity cannot go unpunished.

Hopefully the war will end soon, and Ukraine will regain peace and freedom.