Kyiv:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Lyman, a key city in one of the four Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia, has been “cleared” from Moscow’s forces.
The latest development – a hallmark of Ukraine’s week-long counter-offensive against the invasion of Moscow – comes as Russia continues to complete its annexation of conquered Ukrainian territories, despite condemnation from Kiev and the West.
Lyman’s recapture – which Moscow forces have kept under control for weeks this spring – marks the first Ukrainian military victory in the area the Kremlin has claimed as its own and has vowed to defend itself by all means possible.
“As of 12:30 PM (0930 GMT) Lyman has been completely cleared. Thank you to our military!” President Zelensky said in a video posted on social media.
The Ukrainian army said it had moved into Lyman on Saturday, prompting Moscow to announce the “withdrawal” of its troops from the city to “more favorable lines”.
“Now I’m optimistic and highly motivated. I see the activity on the front lines and how foreign weapons… help us take back our country,” a 33-year-old Ukrainian soldier, using the nom de guerre, told AFP after return from Lyman.
In a video address late Saturday, Volodymyr Zelensky promised to recapture more areas in the country’s eastern Donbas region within a week.
Russian court approves annexation
With Russian losses mounting, experts have warned that President Vladimir Putin could turn to nuclear weapons to defend territory – an option suggested by a Putin ally.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Saturday that Russia should consider using “low-yield nuclear weapons” after Moscow’s forces were driven from Lyman.
Putin held a grand Kremlin ceremony on Friday to celebrate the annexation of Ukraine’s four territories: Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhya, following referendums declared invalid by Kiev and its allies.
Despite condemnation from the West, Russia’s Constitutional Court on Sunday recognized as legal the annexation agreements Putin signed with the Moscow-backed leaders of the four Ukrainian territories.
State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the annexation treaties will be discussed by Russia’s Lower House, the State Duma, on Monday.
The four areas create a crucial land corridor between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, also annexed by Moscow, in 2014.
Together, the five regions make up about 20 percent of Ukraine.
Kiev has also called for the immediate release of the head of the Moscow-owned Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, and condemned his “illegal detention” by the Russians.
Ihor Murashov left the factory Friday when he was detained and “driven in an unknown direction” while blindfolded, Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom has said.
‘Serious concern’
In a statement from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), its chief Rafael Grossi said Murashov’s arrest was a cause for “grave concern”.
Grossi is expected to travel to Kiev and Moscow “next week,” the UN agency added.
Zaporizhzhya, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has been at the center of tensions, with Moscow and Kiev accusing each other of attacks on and near the plant, raising fears of a nuclear disaster.
After the annexations, Washington announced “severe” new sanctions against Russian officials and the defense industry, saying G7 allies support the imposition of “fees” on any country that supports annexation.
President Zelensky urged the US-led military alliance NATO to grant his country accelerated membership.
He also promised never to talk to Russia as long as Vladimir Putin was in power.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg labeled the annexation as “illegal and illegal” but remained noncommittal after Ukraine said it was applying to join the Western alliance.
Turkey said on Saturday that the annexation of Russia was a “serious violation of the established principles of international law”.
Despite Vladimir Putin’s warnings before the annexation that he could use nuclear weapons to defend the conquered territories, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kiev would “continue to liberate our country and our people”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)