The Russian defence ministry in a statement that it has withdrawn troops from Lyman on Saturday, October 1. Earlier, it was reported that the Ukrainian army has “encircled” the eastern town. 

“Because of the threat of encirclement the allied troops have been withdrawn from Krasnyi Lyman to better positions,” the defence ministry statement said, the BBC reported. 

Also read: Russian forces withdraw from Ukrainian city of Lyman, Moscow says

The capture of Lyman is an important event in Ukraine’s bid to defend itself against Russia. The town is at the center of Russia’s communication efforts in the war and has played a big role in coordinating its troops in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

It is also a key transportation hub to provide supplies to the Russian army via a railway center controlled by Russia that connects Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv in North East Ukraine.

“Lyman is important because it is the next step towards the liberation of the Ukrainian Donbas,” Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s easter command, had earlier said. “It is an opportunity to go further to Kreminna and Sievierodonetsk, and it is psychologically very important.”

Also read: At least 20 dead after civilian convoy attacked in Ukraine: Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov

Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, posted a video on social media where he confirmed the Russian withdrawal from Lyman. In the video, two soldiers are seen standing on a military vehicle with a Ukrainian flag and a sign saying: “Lyman”.

“We are unfurling our country’s flag and planting it on our land. On Lyman. Everything will be Ukraine”, one of the soldiers in the video said, according to CNN.

Serhii Cherevatyi had earlier said that there were around 5,000 to 5,500 Russian soldiers in the Lyman area but some of them died trying to break out of Ukraine’s encirclement.