Russian troops try to take Lyman in semicircle – military
Russian forces are attempting to envelop Lyman in a semicircle from various directions, concentrating significant forces on this axis, while the Siverskyi Donets River remains a defensive line for Ukrainian forces.
Viktor Trehubov, Head of the Communications Department of the Joint Forces Grouping stated this on air of the Suspilne TV channel, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
"There are many Russians from different sides, and they are very actively trying to take that same Lyman into a semicircle," Trehubov said.
At the same time, he assured that as of now these attempts have not been successful, although the enemy's intentions are obvious.
"So far they are not succeeding, but you can see where they are going, and their intentions here are quite obvious," he noted.
According to Trehubov, the Lyman direction remains one of the key ones for the Russian army.
"This is one of the key directions of Russian aggression overall at the moment, which is why they are committing a very large number of forces specifically to the Lyman direction," he explained.
Trehubov also added that the Siverskyi Donets River continues to hold back the enemy despite winter conditions.
"It has not frozen as much as one might expect at such temperatures," Trehubov reported.
He recalled that the river remains a serious obstacle for military equipment.
"Infantry can cross, but equipment cannot very well, so it is still an obstacle, still a defensive line," he emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported, on the front line since the beginning of the day on January 19, the invaders attacked seven times in the Lyman direction, in the areas of Novoselivka, Shandryholove, Kolodiazi, and Zarichne.
Photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine