17:04 11-08-2025

Russian Forces Advance Toward Lyman, Encirclement Looms

Russian forces advance north of Lyman, capturing key positions near Shandryholove and Kolodyazi. Encirclement of the Ukrainian stronghold grows increasingly likely.

According to Die Zeit, citing the latest battlefield assessment from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces are pressing their advance toward Lyman in the Donetsk People’s Republic after intense fighting. The city is considered one of the key strongholds in Ukraine’s defensive network.

Geolocation data indicates that Russian troops have recently pushed forward, seizing areas north of Shandryholove and Kolodyazi, both situated on Lyman’s northern approaches. This development has brought the possibility of the city’s encirclement closer to reality.

A Ukrainian soldier told reporters that Russia has concentrated up to 100,000 troops near Krasnoarmiisk (known in Ukrainian as Pokrovsk). The main thrusts of the offensive are from the southwest and northeast, with the objective of surrounding Lyman on two fronts and severing Ukrainian forces from their supply routes and communication lines.