Pro-Russian separatist forces in Ukraine claimed on May 27 that they captured Lyman, a strategic city leading to key towns in the east that are still under kyiv’s control. All while Moscow troops try to surround the Ukrainian Army in the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lyschansk. The eventual fall of these areas is essential for Moscow’s total control over the Lugansk province, in the Donbass region.
On day 93 of the war, Moscow is pressing for its biggest advance in weeks in the Donbass region, in the east of the country.
The pro-Russian separatists claim control of Lyman, an important city on the battlefield due to its land connection to other towns under the control of the Ukrainian Army. kyiv seems to recognize that territorial blow.
Meanwhile, Belarus, a country allied with the Kremlin, ordered a new military command for the south of its territory, for which it will move more soldiers to the border with Ukraine.
These are the main news of this May 27:
- 07:05 (BOG) Moscow and kyiv accuse each other of freezing peace talks
The Kremlin has blamed the Ukrainian government for the deadlock in talks to resolve the conflict between the two countries, alleging that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, “constantly makes contradictory statements.”
“This does not allow us to fully understand what the Ukrainian side wants,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
For his part, Zelensky has assured that he has repeatedly tried to organize a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war, but that Moscow still does not seem ready for serious peace talks.
“There are things to discuss with the Russian leader. I am not saying that we are eager to talk to him, but we have to face the realities of what we are experiencing (…) What do we want from this meeting? We want to recover our lives, recover the lives of a sovereign country within its own territory,” stressed the Ukrainian head of state in a speech before a group of Indonesian experts.
- 06:37 (BOG) Belarus orders troops to border with Ukraine
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the creation of a new military command for the south of the country, on the border with Ukraine.
“A new front has been opened and we cannot but pay attention to it (…) Even before creating it, we are obliged today, quickly, on the run, to resolve the defense of our southern borders,” said Lukashenko, dressed in military uniform. , in a televised meeting of defense officials.
Under this measure, the president will send a battalion tactical group to the area. Although he did not specify the next moves, those military units usually consist of mechanized infantry, including tanks.
Although Minsk’s support for Moscow was crucial in the first phase of the conflict, when they held joint military drills and the Russians tried to take kyiv, Lukashenko has denied direct involvement in the war.
Now, the Ukrainian authorities fear that Belarus will take a greater part in the hostilities.
- 6:21 (BOG) Moscow tries to encircle the Ukrainian Army in Sievierodonetsk and Lyschansk
On the ground, Kremlin soldiers continue their attempt to encircle Ukrainian forces in Sievierodonetsk and Lyschansk, having recently captured several villages northwest of Popasna, the UK Ministry of Defense said in its latest report.
Russia is carrying out a strong siege against Sievierodonetsk, although Ukraine retains control of multiple defended sectors and refutes that enemy troops have taken full possession of Donbass, the region on which this phase of the conflict is focused.
British intelligence information also underlines that the Russian Army has made slow but steady progress in the region..
However, London highlights Russia’s shortage of “modern, combat-ready equipment.”
The eventual fall of these areas is key to Moscow’s complete domination of the Luhansk province.
- 6:10 (BOG) Pro-Russians say they took control of the city of Lyman
Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have claimed total control of Lyman, a major battlefield town, and local authorities seem to recognize this.
Lyman, which is home to a key railway hub, has been a major front line as Russian forces press from the north, one of three directions from which they have been attacking the Donbass industrial region in the east of the attacked country. All while trying to surround Sievierodonetsk and Lyschansk, towns still under Ukrainian control.
Russia captured the eastern city of Lyman, Russian and Ukrainian officials confirmed. It is the second midsize Ukrainian city to change hands this week, with Russia apparently close to seizing the city of Sievierodonetsk.https://t.co/Hli2Wd4YWC
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 27, 2022
Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, seemed to confirm Lyman’s fall. “According to unverified data, we lost the city of Lyman. The Russian Army, this must be verified, captured it,” Arestovych explained in a video posted on social media.
After being pushed out of the capital kyiv in March and out of the outskirts of the second largest city, Kharkiv, in early May, Russian troops are making their biggest advance in weeks into the eastern Donbass region.
With Reuters, AP and local media
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