Second Battle of Lyman
Second Lyman Battle
This article is about the 2022 war that will take place in Lyman. See First Battle of Lyman for the opening conflict in 2022. See Battle of Krasnyi Lyman for the 2014 conflict that took place when the city was still known by that name.
Second Lyman Battle
is a component of the 2022 Ukrainian eastern counteroffensive Ukrainian invasion by Russia
Lyman following the fight (2022-10-06) 01.jpg
Russian equipment destroyed in Lyman
Period from September 3 to October 2, 2022[2]
(Four weeks, one day)
Location Lyman, Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast
Ukrainian win in status
After a brief siege and a Russian withdrawal on October 1, 2022, Ukraine took back control of the city.
second Kreminna Battle and the Battle of Svatove begin
Entities at War Russia
The Luhansk PR (until 30 September) Ukraine
Russian commanders and leaders Lapin, Alexander [3]
Fomchenkov, Sergei[4]
Ukraine Oleg Syrskyi[5]
Russian Armed Forces personnel involved
501st Motor Rifle Regiment of the Guard[6]
[7]
Regiment 752nd Guards Motor Rifle [1]
Components of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army
[1]
Detachment of the 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade
[7]
Militia BARS[1]
Russian Legion BARS-13
[7]
BARS-16 (detachment in Kuban)[8]
Patch of the Lugansk People's Republic's People's Militia.
svg People's Militia of LPR[1]
Cossack Motor Rifle Regiment, 208th[6]
Special soldiers from a local separatist group
Ukrainian Military
The 103rd Territorial Defence Brigade and the 214th Rifle Battalion
11th Airmobile Brigade, the 81st
Forces for Special Operations[12]
Ukrainian National Guard[13]
First Dnipro Regiment
[14] Operational Battalion "Serhiy Kulchytsky"
[15]
Strength: about 5,500. (Ukrainian estimate)
[1]
Unknown
losses and casualties
likely heavy (per British Ministry of Defence)
[2]
1500+ fatalities (Ukrainian claim)
[16]
Unknown, but likely a heavy vte
Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022
The 2022 Ukrainian eastern counteroffensive included a military confrontation known as the Second Battle of Lyman that took place during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The conflict began on September 10, 2022, during the counteroffensive, and it was resolved on October 2, three weeks later. [2] By the afternoon of September 30, Ukrainian forces had crossed the Siverskyi Donets River and were closing in on the city. They advanced along Lyman's southern and eastern flanks while capturing territory northwest of the settlement, enabling them to close the only road supplying the occupying forces from the north. [17] Following a Russian withdrawal, Ukrainian forces reached Lyman on October 1. [18]
Contents
1 Background \s2 Battle
2.1 Lyman Pocket 2.1.1 Southeast 2.1.2 Eastern 2.1.3 Northwest
2.1.4 North
2.2 The loss of the city and the Russian troops' departure
3 Aftermath
4 References
Background
: : Main : : : : First Lyman Battle (2022)
On February 24, 2022, one month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine,[19] Russia asserted control over 93% of Luhansk Oblast,[20] leaving Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk as the only strategically significant Ukrainian outposts in the region. Success in the neighbouring cities of Rubizhne to the north and Popasna to the south was crucial to the Russian strategy to seize Sievierodonetsk. [21] By 6 April, mortars and rockets were apparently landing in Sievierodonetsk at "regular, steady intervals," while Russian forces had reportedly taken control of 60% of Rubizhne[22]. [23] The following day, the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Army launched an operation that reportedly forced Russian forces away from Kreminna, another nearby town, by 6 to 10 kilometres. On May 12, 2022, Russian forces apparently took control of the towns of Voevodivka and Rubizhne. [24]
to paraphrase May the 20th,
[25] 400 to 485 killed and wounded Russian forces were reported as a result of the attempts. [26] [27]
While other Ukrainian officials acknowledged that the majority of Lyman, including the city centre, was under Russian control, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry claimed on May 27 that the battle for control of the city was still raging and that their forces were still holding the southwestern and northeastern districts.
[28] Additionally, the United Kingdom determined that by 27 May, the majority of the town had fallen into Russian control. [29]
Battle
A 2022 Ukrainian eastern counteroffensive is another example.
To paraphrase the Wizard of Oz, it takes a village.
[30] They arrived in Staryi Karavan, which is only 15 kilometres from Lyman, on September 5. [31]
In addition to retaking Kupiansk and Izyum during the 2022 Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive, Ukraine claimed to have reached Lyman's southern outskirts on September 10th.
[32] Battles were fought outside of Lyman the same day, and military supplies were delivered there. [33] [34] According to Igor Girkin, LPR and DPR soldiers were defending forested regions close to Lyman as the Russian army withdrew. [35] Russian forces identified the Russian defenders of Lyman as BARS-13 and BARS-16 detachments, which are sub-battalion formations made up of Russian reservists from the Russian Special Combat Army Reserve. Ukrainian forces were advancing to encircle Lyman from the south, east, west, and northwest, and later from the north. [36] Semyon Pegov (aka WarGonzo), a Russian war correspondent, reported on 30 September that Ukrainian forces had cut off the last road leading into Lyman, describing the situation for the Russian soldiers as "extremely difficult"[37]. He also mentioned "elements of the BARS-13 detachment and the 752nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 20th Combined Arms Army, which are reportedly defending around Drobysheve and into Lyman," at that time. [38] After the Russian troops allegedly withdrew, Ukrainian troops flew the Ukrainian flag at a Lyman entry sign on October 1. [39]
Pocket, Lyman
Map of the Second Battle of Lyman South's Lyman Pocket
Ukrainian forces continued to reclaim Dibrova and Brusivka in order to solidify their gains after taking back Ozerne and Staryi Karavan. Six kilometres southwest of Lyman, near the village of Shchurove, Ukraine liberated it on September 17. [40]
The settlement of Yampil, which is southeast of Lyman, was also under attack by east Ukrainian forces. In addition to denying Russia complete control of Luhansk, Ukrainian forces also liberated Bilohorivka in the Luhansk Oblast, opening a new corridor that will help in the fight for Lyman. [41]
By September 27, some Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance teams had already crossed the Siversky Donets River from Bilohorivka and the surrounding area, travelled through the forest, and been spotted in Torske [uk] and Yampil, which are located 14 km and 13 km northeast, respectively, of Lyman.
[42]
On September 28, a number of Russian media claimed that Ukrainian forces had advanced southeast of Kolodiazi, which is north of Lyman, and were now engaged in combat 12 kilometres to the northeast of Lyman, near Torske. Some Russian milbloggers also asserted that Ukrainian soldiers gathered near Yampil (13 km southeast of Lyman), breached Russian defences there, and advanced southwestward toward Torske. Some milbloggers were worried that Ukrainian forces could cut off the Svatove-Lyman road, which is currently a vital ground line of communication (GLOC) for the Russian grouping in Lyman, at any time, completing the encirclement of Russian troops in Lyman. [43]
Ukrainian army captured Yampil on September 30 and fought valiantly in the Zarichne-Torske region. According to some Russian military bloggers, Ukrainian forces have crossed the Siverskyi Donets River in Dronivka and are now operating in the forests south of Kreminna. Russian sources have consistently stated that Ukrainian artillery continues to obstruct the only remaining egress route for Russian forces, which is the Kreminna-Torske road. [44]
Northwest and west
Three kilometres to the east of Bohorodychne, near Sviatohirsk, Ukrainian soldiers crossed the Siverskyi Donets River on September 12 to liberate the important town.
[45]
On September 15, Ukrainian forces retook Sosnove in Donetsk Oblast, east of Sviatohirsk, forcing a small Russian force in the area to evacuate in order to avoid being surrounded. Studenok is a village in Kharkiv Oblast, east of the Oskil River.
[46] Using Sosnove and Studenok as launching pads, Ukraine split off in two directions, moving in the direction of the north, advancing to Donetsk Oblast's Krymky, Oleksandrivka, Yatskivka, Rubtsi [uk], and Korovii Yar, and retaking them by 22 September[47]. This brought Ukraine closer to the administrative border between Donetsk Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, and Luhansk Oblast
On September 19, violent fights broke out in the nearby town of Yarova in the other direction. On September 21, Russian military bloggers reported fighting in Drobysheve.
[48]
The Ukrainian 81st Brigade and the National Guard fully liberated Novoselivka by 28 September and advanced further south and east towards Lyman. By 24 September, Russian military bloggers were reporting that Ukrainian forces had taken control of half of Novoselivka, 10 km northwest of Lyman and next to both Yarova and Drobysheve.
[50]
On September 30, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine discussed developments surrounding Lyman in a video speech. He expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian forces for freeing Yampil and Drobysheve, two towns northwest and southeast of the city, respectively. [51]
North
Sukhoi Su-34 wreckage from the Russian Air Force, bearing the registration number RF-81852.
On September 22, a number of Russian outlets reported action near Lyman and asserted that Ukrainian forces had breached Russian fortifications in the Kramatorsk Raion towns of Ridkodub and Karpivka, both of which are located 20 kilometres north of Lyman.
[52]
By the 24th and 25th of September, Ukrainian forces were not only attempting to advance from the Ridkodub-Nove line to the south[53], but they had also crossed the administrative border between Donetsk and Kharkiv, advanced to the north, and liberated a few towns, including Maliivka, Pisky-Radkivskiy, and a few others to the south and southeast of Borova.
[Reference needed]
On September 28, Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk Oblast had retaken Karpivka, Nove, Ridkodub, and Novoselivka and were moving east to free Katerynivka.
[54]
[55] Additionally, Zelena Dolyna [uk], which is northeast of Shandryholove and 15 kilometres north of Lyman, as well as Nove, another recently liberated community, were said to have been freed by Ukrainian forces. Geolocated battle footage supported Russian military bloggers' assertions that Ukrainians had taken control of Zelena Dolyna and advanced to the east to seize control of Kolodiazi (11 km northeast of Lyman). [56]
Russian milblogger WarGonzo, actual name Semyon Pegov, stated on September 29 that Ukrainian forces had cut the Torske-Drobysheve road, the remaining supply and evacuation route for Russian forces manning the line west of Lyman, after breaching Russian fortifications around Stavky [uk], 10 km north of Lyman. Rybar, a different Russian military blogger, noted that Ukrainian forces are attacking Lyman from three angles and have blocked Russian access to the crucial Svatove-Lyman road, which is the main ground line of communication (GLOC) sustaining the Russian grouping inside Lyman. [57]
According to Russian sources, Ukrainian forces regained Stavky on September 30 and cut off the Drobysheve-Torske road, forcing Russia to leave Drobysheve.
[58]
Loss of the city and Russian soldiers' withdrawal
At a Lyman city entrance on October 1st, Ukrainian soldiers hoisted the Ukrainian flag. Up to 5,000 Russian troops were said to be stranded there at one point. [59][60] Later that afternoon, Russia acknowledged that it had lost control of Lyman. [61] [62] The Russian forces were surrounded, according to Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's eastern military. Lyman's capture, according to him, is significant because it "marks the next step toward the liberation of the Ukrainian Donbas." The victories occurred a day after Russian President Putin declared the occupied Ukrainian regions, including the Donbas, to be Russian territory at a ceremony in Moscow. "This puts in glaring lights that his claim is fraudulent and cannot be enforced," retired US General Ben Hodges stated. [63]
Later on October 1, Russian sources said that their men, including Kreminna, had moved eastward from Lyman.
Later Ukrainian accounts agreed that the majority of the Russian garrison had fled, but some soldiers had remained and had been wiped out by the advancing Ukrainians.
[64]
[65] According to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, the Russian soldiers suffered "serious" losses during their hurried retreat to avoid being surrounded. [2] The BBC estimated that the 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade sustained its heaviest casualties to date during the fighting in Lyman, with the prospect that 75% of its reconnaissance company troops were lost, based on social media posts and notifications of combat losses. [66] A sizable number of Russian forces trying to escape were caught in a smaller area east of the city. Additionally, several Russian contingents that had separated from their main force took cover in the adjacent trees. [67]
On October 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that Lyman had been "completely cleaned."
[2]
Aftermath
Exhumation at a mass burial in Lyman by the National Police of Ukraine, 9 October
Primary Articles Svatove Battle and Second Kreminna Battle
A crucial railroad hub was reclaimed by Ukraine, enabling mop-up efforts in the northern Donetsk Oblast (on the left side of the Siverskyi Donets river).
[68]
[69] The retaking of Lyman also cast doubt on the legality of Russia's annexation of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts on September 30, 2022, and provided a path for a potential advance toward Svatove in the north and Kreminna in the east. [70]
On October 7, 2022, the governor Pavlo Kyrylenko and Ukrinform reported that a mass grave in Lyman had been discovered, comprising roughly 180 bodies. The precise number, military or civilian identities, and causes of death of the individuals were unknown at the time. [71] The dead of 111 civilians and 35 troops were discovered on October 20 in a mass grave composed of trenches, according to the Donetsk Oblast Police Department, with some graves still unmarked. [72] At the time, the authorities reported that 25 of the 58 mass grave sites discovered in Lyman were in the freed settlements of Donetsk Oblast. [72]