Russia abandons Ukrainian bastion of Lyman over ‘threat of encirclement’
- Fall of Lyman a major setback for Moscow after Putin proclaimed annexation of the Donetsk region and three others
- Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov calls for more drastic measures in response, such as use of low-yield nuclear weapons
“Allied forces were withdrawn from the settlement of ... Lyman to more advantageous lines because of the creation of the threat of encirclement,” Russia’s Ministry of Defence said.
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The statement ended hours of official silence from Moscow after Kyiv first said it had surrounded thousands of Russian troops in the area and then that its forces were inside the town of Lyman.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya who describes himself as a foot soldier of Putin, said he was unable to remain silent after Moscow abandoned the territory, which the Kremlin had proclaimed to be part of Russia just a day earlier.
“In my personal opinion, more drastic measures should be taken, right up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram in a post in which he derided a Russian general.
The Russian defence ministry’s statement made no mention of its troops being encircled.