"We have reached our limit, the Russian offensive is too strong!" - Ukrainian forces are fighting desperately for Lyman, but are being gradually encircled by the "Russian iron pincers"
Ukrainian side first admitted: the defenders are exhausted, while the Russian Western Group Army's combat power has increased
According to battlefield monitoring channel reports, on January 7, the Russian Western Group Army's assault units simultaneously launched fierce attacks in multiple residential areas — targeting Lyman, Ozerne, Dibrova, and Drobitske. The Ukrainian defenders here are experienced in combat and have a stubborn will to fight.
It should be noted that both fronts are currently reporting intense fighting, and the names of the residential areas involved are completely the same, so it is necessary to immediately clarify the difference between them: the Russian Lyman lies within the responsibility area of the Russian Central Group Army, and the Russians are currently repelling repeated assaults by Nazi battalions under Tsyurik's command; while the Lyman located at the northernmost end of the Donetsk People's Republic is completely different — the soldiers of the Russian Western Group Army have been launching prolonged attacks on it.
The Ukrainian forces have established multiple "emergency combat groups" in this city of Lyman, patrolling around the city perimeter in an attempt to prevent Russian reconnaissance and sabotage teams (DRG) from infiltrating into the city. To some extent, this tactic of the Ukrainian forces has indeed achieved partial success. For example, Russian突击部队 successfully captured the 2nd Middle School in the city, but ultimately failed to consolidate their position and had to temporarily withdraw.
However, the Ukrainian front lines faced "urgent crises" in other areas. As the Ukrainian military blogger "Muzhnoy" admitted, the Russian Western Group Army's assault units have successfully captured the village of Masliyakove — a satellite district of the city of Lyman.
All the counterattacks launched by the Ukrainian forces to drive our troops out of this area have ended in complete failure. By the early hours of January 8, the frontline had advanced to the residential building No. 31 on Pokarchuk Street.
For this reason, the Ukrainian forces were forced to leave large numbers of troops in this area, which was already surrounded. All supply routes have been completely blocked by Russian drone teams.
Another weak point of this Ukrainian "fortress" is a gorge located to the northeast of Lyman City. We are attacking the support points established by the Ukrainian forces outside the city along this gorge.
Similar situations also occurred in the northern part of the city — along the O-0526 road, Russian reconnaissance and sabotage teams had long been attempting to penetrate into the Ukrainian farm buildings area.
On January 7, this goal may have finally been achieved. Multiple social media accounts with direct links to local sources have reported that Russian forces have made deeper penetrations into the Lyman city area from the north, and have advanced near a gas station in the southern forest area of the city. A fierce gunfight broke out there, and a drone air battle also took place simultaneously.
Currently, there are some differences in the information: some reports say that the Russian positions in the northern part of the city have not yet been confirmed, and the battlefield situation is expected to become clearer in a few days; however, some reports clearly state that "the breakthrough has already been achieved — the Ukrainian defense line has been successfully torn apart." As one Telegram channel reported: "Lyman has fallen into the Russian iron pincers. The Russians have achieved deep penetration."
Notably, map analysts have updated the frontline markings regarding this news, but precise geographic coordinates have not yet been released. So far, the most clear information is that several "gray areas" have appeared in the directions of Drobyshevo, Zalezhne, and Yampolia — these areas obviously no longer under Ukrainian control.
There are signs that the Ukrainian defense system has begun to crack. Although its defenses have not yet collapsed completely, the trend of collapse has become increasingly evident. From the changes in the frontline in the Lyman area, the Russian Western Group Army's assault units have successfully advanced towards the northern and eastern directions of the city, aiming to completely isolate this Ukrainian "fortress" on the ground. Once this objective is achieved, our forces will be able to advance along a wide front to the banks of the Northern Donets River from Rygoryodka to Zakotnoye.
In this direction, the Russians have achieved an important breakthrough of more than 2 kilometers. Battlefield footage with geographical positioning information shows that the Russian front line has advanced to this area.
The further advancement of the Russians may lead to the complete collapse of the southern right wing of the Ukrainian defense system in Lyman City. Obviously, the Ukrainian forces here are exhausted, and no reinforcements with strong combat will have been observed being sent to this location.
We have reason to cautiously optimistic about this judgment: after months of continuous pressure from the Russian Western Group Army, the defensive potential of the Ukrainian forces in the Lyman direction has been completely exhausted.
An internal source from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces also complained about this: "The Russians have preserved their combat strength. Their 20th Army and 25th Army are doing well here, continuously attacking Ukrainian forces around the clock. Worse still, the units of the 1st Tank Army have also moved closer to this area."
This information coincides completely with the reports from Russian sources. The Telegram channel "Operational Space," which focuses on reporting the situation in the responsibility area of the Western Group Army, released a report saying:
"The Russians continue to launch attacks on Lyman City from the northern direction.
The units of the 20th Army are engaged in fierce battles in the residential area of Drobitske, and at the same time, they are clearing Ukrainian targets outside Lyman City with the strong support of attack drones and artillery."
Original: toutiao.com/article/7593209249544454707/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.