After the Ukrainian army recovered Liman on Saturday (October 1), the flag of the "Donetsk People's Republic" in the local pro-Russian separation area was removed. (Social Media/Reuters)
( Kiev Comprehensive Television) After Ukraine regained Liman, its morale has been greatly boosted, and President Zelensky vowed to regain more lost land in the next week. US Secretary of Defense Austin said that losing Liman, the supply hub, will put the Russian army in a new dilemma. The British Ministry of Defense pointed out that the defeat will cause the Russian leadership to be even more severely criticized at home.
Zelensky announced on Sunday (October 2) that he had completely driven the Russian army out of the railway hub of Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine (called bonus man in Russia). The day before, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the withdrawal of troops from Liman to avoid being surrounded by Ukrainian troops. The Ukrainian army later released a video of refurbing the Ukrainian flag in the center of Liman to overturn Russia's sovereignty over the local area.
Russian President Putin last Friday (September 30) signed an agreement with Donetsk , Lugansk , Zaporoze and Khlsson pro-Russia representatives to include the four regions in the Russian territory. Australia announced Sunday that it would expand financial and travel sanctions on Russians to punish Russia for annexation of the fourth district of Ukraine. Those under sanctions include Russian-appointed separatists, ministers and senior officials.
Luhansk PrefectureGate Governor Gaiden pointed out that recapturing Liman would help Ukraine recover the lost land in Luhansk Prefecture. Zelensky said in his national speech last Saturday night: "In the past week, the number of Ukrainian flags in the Donbas region has increased. In the next week, the number will increase." Donbas contains Luhansk Oblast and Donetsk Oblast.
Luhansk Prefecture Governor said that recapturing Liman would help Ukraine recover lost land in Luhansk Prefecture. The picture shows a photo of the Ukrainian army in Liman. (Reuters)
U.S. Defense Secretary Austin said Saturday that Ukrainian recapture of Leman is encouraging. He pointed out that Liman is the hub for the Russian army to transport military supplies to the south and west. "Without these routes, things will become more difficult, which puts the Russian army in trouble in the process of advancing."
British Defense Ministry said on Sunday that the Russian army may suffer heavy casualties when withdrawing from Liman, which is also a major political setback for Moscow, causing the Russian leadership to receive more criticism at home. If Russia loses more territory in the illegal annexation area, Russian generals will almost certainly face stronger public criticism and greater pressure.
Russian troops suffered consecutive defeats, which made all parties more worried that Putin might use nuclear weapons . After the Russian troops withdrew from Liman, Kadyrov called on Moscow to change its strategy, including the implementation of martial law and the use of low-equivalent nuclear weapons in border areas.
Putin held a referendum in four Ukrainian states and declared them Russian territory on September 30. The picture shows the crowds on Moscow Red Square on the day of the announcement. (AFP)
Germany delivers Ukraine's first IRIS-T air defense missile system in the next few days
However, the Washington think tank War Institute believes that it is difficult for the Russian army to launch a nuclear war under the current state. The Institute pointed out: "Russia's current ground force consists of exhausted contract soldiers , hasty mobilized reserve personnel, recruited soldiers and mercenaries , and cannot operate in a nuclear environment."
On the other hand, German Defense Minister Rambrecht suddenly visited Odessa, Ukrainian Port City on Saturday to meet Ukrainian Defense Minister Leznikov. She announced that Germany will deliver the first of the four advanced IRIS-T air defense missile systems promised to Ukraine in the coming days, noting that the system is particularly important to resist drone attacks.
German Defense Minister Rambrecht said on Saturday that the first IRIS-T air defense missile system will be delivered to Ukraine in the near future. The picture shows her attending a press conference on September 22 (Reuters)
In the past few weeks, the Russian army has increasingly used Iranian drones to attack Ukraine, causing casualties and infrastructure damage.Ukrainian troops said Sunday that in the past 24 hours, the Russian army launched four missiles, , and carried out 16 air strikes at Ukraine, and used Iranian Witness-136 (Shahed-136) drones to attack the infrastructure.
Ukrainian fighter jets carried out 29 air strikes within 24 hours, destroying Russian weapons and air defense missile systems, while Ukrainian ground troops attacked the Russian command post, ammunition warehouse and air defense missile facilities.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said on the same day that the Russian army destroyed seven artillery and missile reservoirs in Ukraine in Kharkov , Zaporoze, Nikolayev and Donetsk, and destroyed the guided radar of the S-300 air defense missile system deployed in the Khlsong area of Ukraine.
