Ukrainian army admits setbacks in eastern town of Lyman

The Ukrainian army admitted that it faced severe setbacks in the battle to retain control of the strategically important town of Lyman in the Donbas region in the east of the country.
On Friday, pro-Russian separatists claimed full control of the town of Lyman, the site of a railway station at a crossroads into larger urban areas.
On the same day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces also reported that fighting was taking place inside the town and that Russian forces were trying to force the Ukrainian defenders out.
The General Staff said, today, Saturday, that the Russian side “is trying to establish its presence in the Liman area and is bombing two villages south of the town, namely Ozern and Dibrova – with grenades and rocket launchers, which indicates the shift of the front lines from the north.
Lyman is located west of Severodonetsk, a Ukrainian city in the far east of the country, which is still under Ukrainian control and where violent battles are raging, while Russia seeks to encircle the region.
The city of “Severodonetsk” was the target of rocket attacks last night, but the advance in the city and its suburbs was repelled, according to a report on the situation issued by the General Staff.
In the nearby city of Bakhmut, the Russians tried to stand behind Ukrainian forces and cut off supply routes, but those efforts also failed.