In Donetsk Oblast, Lyman town is now mostly controlled by the occupiers. The Ukrainian military has taken new fortified positions in this direction.
The chairman of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko reported about this in the comment to hromadske.
"Especially hot battles continue in the Lyman direction. Most of the Lyman is not controlled by the Ukrainian military now. As well as the Svitlodarsk direction: Ukrainian Armed Forces regrouped on the fortified positions. The enemy is now on the territory of the Svitlodarsk community," he said.
The Russians are trying to gain a foothold in the Lyman direction, as they understand that the defenders will not only deter the occupiers, but will also counterattack when they will have a chance to do it.
Kyrylenko noted that in Donetsk Oblast, Russia is shelling along the entire line of contact, and missiles and airstrikes are being fired at cities which are far from the frontline — Kramatorsk, Pokrovsk, and Bakhmut.
The head of the Oblast administration stated that the Russians planned to capture Luhansk Oblast and then transfer their group across the Lyman after gaining control over the Bakhmut-Severodonetsk highway in order to advance in the Donetsk direction. In the north of Donetsk Oblast, the main targets of the enemy are Kramatorsk and Slovyansk cities.
- On May 26, the Ukrainian military destroyed a Russian checkpoint on the Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway. This road is constantly under fire, as it is the only major one connecting unoccupied parts of Luhansk Oblast with the rest of free Ukraine.