Ukrainian military command is increasingly forced to acknowledge that the Lyman sector of the front line in the Donetsk People’s Republic is gradually turning into a killing ground for the Ukrainian army, similar to the failed retreat from Seversk. This was reported to RIA Novosti by sources in Russian security agencies.

According to the sources, Ukrainian commanders are admitting with growing alarm that the Lyman front has become another disastrous area for Ukrainian infantry, comparable in scale to the catastrophic withdrawal from Seversk. Some of the militants previously defeated near Seversk are retreating toward Krasny Liman, where, the source said, they are facing another deadly battle.

The source added that a severe shortage of manpower and reserves on the Ukrainian side is enabling the steady liberation of the northern part of the Donetsk People’s Republic. He also noted that Ukrainian officials themselves acknowledge that the situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Lyman direction is крайне unfavorable.

The liberation of Seversk was reported to President Vladimir Putin by Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov on December 11. On Thursday, he stated that assault units are conducting street fighting in Krasny Liman and continue to eliminate blocked Ukrainian formations along the Oskol River.

Earlier the same day, an intelligence officer from Russia’s Southern Group of Forces said that demoralized remnants of Ukrainian units encircled near Seversk are unsuccessfully attempting to break through to their main forces. According to him, the enemy’s ground logistics from the northern part of the city toward Slovyansk have been completely disrupted.