1/ Russia has suffered a "crushing defeat" at Lyman in eastern Ukraine, with multiple regiments routed, heavy losses, and a "collapse of the front." Crippled soldiers are reportedly being sent into battle in a last-ditch effort to prevent disaster. ⬇️ bsky.app
The Russian salient north of Lyman, Donetsk region, Ukraine has collapsed. Ukrainian forces are moving into this area, conducting mopping up operations.
2/ Russian warblogger Anatoly Shariy says bluntly that Russia has experienced "a crushing defeat at Lyman... [The Ukrainians have] cleared the area and want to try to advance further towards Terny. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are removing mines in that area." 3/ "Also, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently attempting a counterattack from Lyman towards the area of Yampol, along the railway line." 4/ He publishes a series of text messages apparently sent by a contact on the front line, which indicate that the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) – a unit of anti-Putin Russians fighting with the Ukrainian army – is spearheading the assault: 5/ " 23:03: Well, as mentioned, the RDK forces have advanced and reached Building 3 23:05: They’re fresh, well-supplied, fully equipped and have armoured vehicles, whilst our men are lugging shells on foot for 30 km 23:05: All the regiments are completely exhausted. 6/ "23:05: Regiments 283, 488 and 1428 have no men at all. 23:05: They’re sending men on crutches into the assault." 7/ In a now-deleted but increasingly panicked series of Telegram posts, Anatoly Radov attempts to draw attention to a Russian force that he says has been surrounded at Ivanivka, deep inside what had been the Russian salient: 8/ "Gentlemen upstairs. The Ivanivka area is currently being defended by two companies, four platoons, holding the line until reinforcements arrive. Perhaps someone could take a look and, if possible, provide assistance? Or do you NOT understand that something is wrong there? 9/ "Uncle Vova [Putin], what news are you getting? Things are getting pretty bad here. Are you paying attention? Uncle Vova, if you don't care, then this young man does care. Go up, Rybar, and see, things are bad in Lyman. 10/ "I'm probably here because of someone, and frankly, I'm still trying to figure out why. Right now, I'm not dealing with nonsense; I'm trying to figure out how to hold onto anything we have left across the border. Ivanivka is surrounded. Are there any solutions?" 11/ Once he had calmed down, Radov posted a more coherent assessment of the deteriorating situation north of Lyman, reporting that Terny and Balka Zhuravka were still held by the Russians but were under heavy pressure. Many Russian units have withdrawn. 12/ One of his sources reports that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are advancing against the 20th Army, and fighting is taking place along the Zherebets River, in the Terny area, Ivanivka (two villages on either side of the river), and Balki Zhuravki (formerly Nevskoe). 13/ Ivanivka is under Russian control but said to be cut off from normal supply lines, with fighting taking place on the dam between the villages. Radov says that the situation is somewhat reminiscent of Russia's disastrous defeat in the Kharkiv region in 2022. 14/ 'Artjockey' comments: "Overall, I wouldn't be surprised if this involves the redeployment of reserves and an intensification of fighting by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in an attempt to break through the defensive line,… 15/ …not just to push the Russian Armed Forces back across the Zherebets River, but also to cross it themselves and establish a bridgehead there. 16/ "If this is a truly large-scale offensive, at least on the scale of Kursk, and not just a breakthrough in the information space after four months of offensive operations, then this is the offensive that I predicted for August-September. 17/ "The timing is ideal – a week before the [Russian] elections. However, it's still too early to draw conclusions; let's see what happens over the next 24 hours. 18/ "However, it is already clear that the salient (outward projection) was effectively cut off, the threat to Lyman has been eliminated, and this represents a significant deterioration in the strategic situation on the main axis of the Russian offensive. 19/ "Without control of Lyman, the task of storming the Kramatorsk agglomeration becomes significantly more difficult." 20/ 'Two Majors' hints strongly that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had been concealed from the Russian high command by false reporting from local Russian commanders, resulting in the Kremlin being taken by surprise by the scale of the Ukrainian push: 21/ "The enemy has been counterattacking for months, and the situation clearly requires attention from the command. The reasons for this have been discussed previously by colleagues: it is absolutely unacceptable to "paint a rosy picture" and provide misleading reports. 22/ "The question of why there are no systemic changes is, in our opinion, rhetorical." 'Artjockey' points out the extent to which false reporting from the front line has led to the Kremlin living in "their own beautiful, wonderful, and completely fabricated world": 23/ "19th December 2025: Putin stated that 50% of Lyman is under control and will soon be captured. 28th June 2026: Putin said that there are 149 houses left to liberate in Lyman out of a total of 11,000. 24/ "7th September 2026: On the "Vesti" program, Pushilin stated that Russian troops are completing the clearing of the city from scattered groups of the enemy." /end Sources: 🔹 t.me 🔹 t.me 🔹 t.me 🔹 t.me More updates here: bsky.app
1/ Ukrainian forces have advanced through the Lyman salient to reach the Zherebets River, Russian warbloggers say. Fighting is ongoing in the 200 km² salient, with a "difficult" situation for the Russians, who are facing "massive use" of drones. ⬇️ bsky.app