Russian forces withdraw from Lyman over encirclement risk: MoD

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Russian and allied armed forces have withdrawn from the town of Lyman, also known as Krasnyi Lyman, in the northern part of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday, noting that the withdrawing forces regrouped at locations that are much more favorable for them due to a there being a risk that they could be encircled.

"Due to the risk of encirclement, the allied troops have been withdrawn from the town of Krasnyi Lyman to more favorable areas," the ministry said.

Due to the devastating losses Ukraine is suffering at the hands of the Russian forces, Kiev has been forced to deploy reserve capabilities and resume its offensive in a certain direction, Moscow added.

The ministry revealed that over the past 24 hours, the Russian and allied forces eliminated more than 200 Ukrainian troops, five tanks, and nine infantry vehicles in devastating attacks in Lyman.

Lyman lies 100 miles southeast of Kharkov, which also recently saw Russian troops withdrawing in light of similar conditions. 

Russia announced in early September that its forces were withdrawing from the Kharkov region that lies on the eastern front after the army had the region under its control for months.

The withdrawal from Kharkov to Donetsk, Moscow explained, was carried out over the course of a three-day operation conducted to minimize Russian losses. However, the leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, said there was fierce fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian forces in the DPR.

Pushilin explained that the situation in the town of Lyman, Donetsk, was "very difficult" and that fighting had erupted in "a number of localities", particularly in the north. 

Donetsk is one of Russia's newest regions, having become part of the Russian Federation just yesterday after President Vladimir Putin signed a document declaring them Russian territories following popular referenda that saw the overwhelming majority of their citizens voting in favor of becoming parts of Russia.

The referenda were held in the liberated Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Kherson, and Zaporozhye.

He announced that the people living in the DPR, LPR, Kherson, and Zaparozhye "have become [Russian] citizens forever. I want people in Kiev and their real owners to listen to me; we call on Kiev to enter an immediate ceasefire to end the war they initiated back in 2014."

Putin announced Russia's formal recognition of the independence of the DPR and LPR in late February. This led to Ukraine escalating against the republics and using various tactics to try and undermine their leadership and harm their civilians.

The President promised to protect Russia's territories, by all means, saying Moscow would rebuild all the leveled cities and towns and back the industrial sector, develop enterprises, upgrade the infrastructure, and introduce healthcare systems.