Ukraine conflict: Russian soldiers pushed out of the eastern town of Lyman

 Russia has evacuated its forces from the crucial Ukrainian town of Lyman, which is considered a big defeat for Russia's eastern operation.

The evacuation came amid worries that thousands of soldiers would be surrounded in the town, according to Russia's defense ministry.

 

Recapturing Lyman is strategically important for Ukraine. Russia utilized the town as a supply base, and it might enable Ukrainian soldiers access to further land in the Donetsk and Luhansk areas.

 

On the outskirts of town, video footage circulated online showing Ukrainian soldiers flying their national flag.

 

 

 

Although the blue and yellow flags were flying again in Lyman, President Volodymyr Zelensky declared in his evening video address that combat was "still continuing on."

However, he gave no further details.

 

The battlefield setback prompted the Chechen leader and hardline Moscow ally, Ramzan Kadyrov, to comment that Russia should consider using low-yield nuclear weapons in the face of such defeats.

 

Lyman is in Donetsk - one of four partially-occupied Ukrainian regions which Russia declared it was annexing on Friday. Ukraine and its Western allies have dismissed the move as an illegal land grab.

 

An adviser to Ukraine's defense minister earlier told the BBC that recent gains around Lyman - following days of intense fighting - represented a "considerable success".

 

Russian fighters had been given the chance to surrender, Yurik Sak said and would face better treatment as prisoners of war than from the Russian military leadership.

Shortly after, the Kremlin announced the withdrawal of Russian soldiers from Krasnyi (Red) Lyman, citing the Ukrainians' "substantial advantage in strength" in the area.

 

According to military analysts, Kyiv has gained momentum in the battle and has pledged to launch a counter-offensive to retake all occupied areas.

 

 

 

Mr. Zelensky said in a speech on Friday that attempts to "liberate our whole territory" would serve as proof that international law could not be broken.