Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to take back other cities in the Donetsk region, and warned Russian officials not to become "scapegoats."

Zelensky said - in a video speech on Saturday evening - "The Ukrainian flag is already raised in Lyman, Donetsk region. Fighting is still going on there."

"This week, new Ukrainian flags were raised over Donbas," a region that includes the Donetsk region, he added. "More flags will be raised over the next week."

The Ukrainian president spoke about Russian government officials that they have begun to exchange accusations among themselves, and they are accusing their army generals of failing, considering it the first warning signal that should be heard at all levels of the Russian government.

Zelensky also addressed his speech to Russian citizens, saying, "As long as you do not solve the problem of the person who started it all, who started this crazy war against Ukraine, you will be killed one by one and become scapegoats, because you do not accept that this war is a historical mistake," referring to To Russian President Vladimir Putin.

For its part, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense wrote on Twitter: "Ukrainian air assault forces enter Lyman, Donetsk region," and attached the tweet to a video clip showing two Ukrainian soldiers waving the national flag and then hanging it next to a sign reading "Lyman" at the entrance to the city.

Sergei Gaidai, the governor of the Lugansk region, said - in a tweet - that the Ukrainian forces had closed all routes of departure and transfer of ammunition to the Russians.

The Ukrainian army spokesman had announced - earlier - their control of all logistical routes in the city of Lyman, stressing that the corridors and supply routes to the Russian forces are under the control of Ukrainian artillery fire, knowing that the Russian forces took control of this strategic city last May.


Russian withdrawal

On the other hand, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that allied separatist forces withdrew to "more advantageous areas from the port of Krasny in the Donetsk region, due to the Ukrainian threat of a blockade."

And it added - in a statement - that its forces destroyed in one day more than 200 military units of the Ukrainian armed forces in this direction.

On Friday, Putin announced that the Ukrainian regions of Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson have become Russian, and that their residents have become Russian citizens forever, following referendums organized by Moscow that met with widespread rejection from Kyiv, the West and even the United Nations.

American welcome

On Saturday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomed Ukraine's takeover of Lyman, and said at a press conference in Hawaii, "Certainly it is important. What we see now is very encouraging."

Austin pointed out that Lyman lies across the supply lines that Russia used to push its forces and equipment to the south and west, while continuing the war that began more than 7 months ago.

"Without these methods it would be much more difficult, so it's kind of a dilemma for the Russians going forward," Austin said.

And the US Secretary of Defense considered that this step confirms that the Ukrainians continue to make progress, and he refused to speculate on what it might lead to from a possible escalation.