Ukraine said Sunday it had taken full control of the city of Liman, a strategic point in the selfproclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic that could serve as a post for further attacks in the region.
“In the last week, the number of Ukrainian flags in Donbass has increased [região ao leste] elevated. Within a week there will be even more,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also added that the war against Ukraine represents a “historic mistake for Russia”.
“Liman is completely free. Thank you troops,” the President added in a short video.
The setback for Russian troops came after its President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions (Donetsk and Lugansk, and areas south of Kherson and Zaporyia) an area that also included Liman. Lugansk and Donetsk form Donbass (Russianspeaking east at the center of the conflict).
The incorporation of the territories into Moscow’s domain was formalized on Friday (30th) by President Vladimir Putin, in a move that provoked international reactions and motivated the convening of the Security Council session, the most important of the United Nations Brazil abstained from voting on a resolution of the panel condemning the annexation.
With Liman captured, Kyiv will be able to build a bridge for an eventual invasion of Lugansk, an area almost entirely occupied by Moscow key points like Kreminna, Severodonetsk and Lisichansk are less than 50 km from Liman.
About 5,000 Russian soldiers were expelled from Liman this Saturday (1st). “In connection with the threat of a siege, Allied troops were withdrawn to more advantageous lines,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
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Russian forces captured Liman in May and used the city as a logistical hub for operations in the north of the Donetsk region, through which troop transport and material supply lines passed.
Also on Sunday, Pope Francis urged Putin to stop “his spiral of violence and death” in Ukraine, saying the country’s crisis could lead to a risk of a nuclear escalation with global ramifications.
In a speech to thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, he also referred to Zelenskyy and urged him to be open to any “serious peace proposal”.
“My appeal is directed primarily to the President of the Russian Federation and begs him to stop this spiral of violence and death,” the Pope said. “On the other hand, saddened by the tremendous suffering of the Ukrainian people due to the aggression endured, I also make a hopeful appeal to the President of Ukraine to be open to a serious peace proposal.”