Russian forces may face imminent defeat in Lyman

Totally predictable when you let the enemy advance unhindered, and do not try any strategical measures to prevent it.
Perhaps a brotherly gesture of goodwill ... totally unforgiveable..!

TG / Masno:

Russian forces may face imminent defeat in Lyman
Russia's forces remain under pressure in parts of the regions it is planning to annex on Friday.

The Institute for the Study of War reports that the Russian military faces imminent defeat in the town of Lyman, southeast of Izyum.

ISW says Russian military bloggers discussed Ukrainian gains around Lyman with increasing concern on Wednesday, "suggesting that Russian forces in this area may face imminent defeat".

Lyman is a town of around 20,000 in Donetsk, about 20km from the Luhansk region border, and not far from Lysychansk and Severodonetsk, which were the scene of fierce fighting in the spring.

ISW says in its daily briefing: "Several Russian milbloggers and prominent military correspondents claimed that Ukrainian troops advanced west, north, and northeast of Lyman and are working to complete the envelopment of Russian troops in Lyman and along the northern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River in this area.

"Russian mibloggers stated that Ukrainian troops are threatening Russian positions and lines of communication that support the Lyman grouping.

"The collapse of the Lyman pocket will likely be highly consequential to the Russian grouping in northern Donetsk and western Luhansk oblasts and may allow Ukrainian troops to threaten Russian positions along the western Luhansk Oblast border and in the Severodonetsk-Lysychansk area."

The development would come after Russian losses following Ukrainian counteroffensives in Kharkiv region, and ISW says that the gain would further decrease Russian morale and draw added anger from nationalists at home, as Vladimir Putin's partial mobilisation meets resistance from those fleeing the country.