While Russia announced the annexation of areas in the east and south-east of Ukraine, the Ukrainian defenders achieved a military success.

The American Institute for the Study of War on Friday gave credibility to reports by Russian sources that the Ukrainian military had encircled the town of Lyman in northern Donetsk Oblast.

Nicholas Zimmerman

Editor in Politics.

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The leader of the Russian occupiers in the area, Denis Puschilin, wrote on Telegram that Lyman was “half surrounded”.

Referring to the Moscow annexation ceremony on Friday, Pushilin said the Ukrainian army was doing everything in its power "to blacken this historic event for us."

The Russian military blog “Rybar” reported on Telegram on Friday night that Lyman was almost surrounded by Ukrainian forces.

If measures such as reinforcements by reservists are not taken quickly, the city will fall to the Ukrainians and nothing will stand in the way of a Ukrainian offensive deep into "Russian" territory (meaning the Ukrainian region of Luhansk).

Lyman might be a starting point for this.

At least 25 civilians killed in rocket attack

Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko wrote on Twitter that Russian forces were trying to escape through the last corridor connected to the other occupied territories.

Because they are apparently being fired upon by heavy Ukrainian artillery from both the north and south, Ponomarenko spoke of a "death trap".

Ukrainian channels showed a video of a Ukrainian soldier outside an administrative building in the village of Yampil, southeast of Lyman, saying "Jampil is ours."

In the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Zaporizhia region, there was a deadly rocket attack on civilians on Friday morning.

According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, at least 25 people were killed and 50 injured in the attack on a motorcade.

"Only absolute terrorists who have no place in the civilized world can do that," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

With a view to the Russian annexations, Zelenskyj reported on a meeting of the Ukrainian General Staff.

Among other things, a plan "to liberate our areas" was discussed, possible short-term actions by the enemy were analyzed and the question of providing weapons and ammunition for the troops in particularly contested areas was clarified.

“We control the situation.

Everything will be Ukraine,” concluded the President.

According to a situation report by the British Ministry of Defense, Russian troops in Ukraine are struggling with poor medical care.

Some newly mobilized Russian reservists have been instructed to provide themselves with first aid supplies.

In addition, they were advised that hygiene products for women were a cost-effective solution.

The medical training is also of poor quality.