A CNN team visited Lyman just after Ukraine regained control. With a backdrop of Putin's annexation, the timing of the liberation raises questions.
The ghostly emptiness of the streets of Lyman in eastern Ukraine belies this city’s strategic significance. There are no signs of Russian troops at all on Sunday – few damaged Russian tanks, or Russian dead, or Russian prisoners. Members of the Ukrainian National Guard from the Dnipro-1 unit hover in small numbers on some streets. The occasional rattle of gunfire, or thud of artillery, pierces the silence.
Some succeeded in getting out, he said, while others had been hit. The possibility Russian forces may have conducted, even in part, an orderly withdrawal on Friday raises an important question of timing for the Kremlin. During that day, Russian President Vladimir Putin was signing documents falsely claiming to annex Lyman, and other parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, and holding a rally in Moscow’s Red Square claiming victory would be Russia’s.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukraine encircles '5,000 Russian troops' in Lyman as Putin faces new defeatThe loss of the town in the newly annexed Donetsk region would be a major blow to Vladimir Putin.
Read more »
Ukraine expected to 'capture or encircle' Lyman within 72 hours: ISW'Ukrainian forces will likely capture or encircle Lyman within the next 72 hours,' the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday.
Read more »
Russian forces flee annexed Lyman as Kyiv troops raise Ukraine flag in cityThe Russian defense ministry said that its forces had 'retreated to more advantageous lines.'
Read more »
Video of Ukraine troops dancing ahead of Lyman victory viewed 1.6M timesThe video, which was posted Thursday, shows soldiers gathered indoors before the room is darkened and they dance, waving red lights in the air.
Read more »
Putin has 'nothing left to maneuver' in Ukraine as Russia flees Lyman: Gen.Retired U.S. Army General Mark Hertling called Russia's recent annexation of four Ukrainian regions, despite mounting losses, 'psychotic' on Saturday.
Read more »