Ukrainian forces push Russian troops back near Lyman, ISW says

September 13, 2026 at 06:40 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed a forward Russian position north of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast and pushed the enemy back toward the Zherebets River, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported. Russian military bloggers confirmed the loss of forward positions near Lyman and a shift of fighting toward defensive lines along the river. ISW noted that Russia's main objective remains unchanged: to capture Lyman and create conditions to encircle a major Ukrainian defense line in Donbas.

Key Facts

Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed a forward Russian position north of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast and pushed the enemy back toward the Zherebets River.
Russian military bloggers reported the loss of forward positions near Lyman and a shift of fighting toward defensive lines along the Zherebets River.
ISW stated that Russia's main objective remains to capture Lyman and create conditions to encircle a major Ukrainian defense line in Donbas.
Western intelligence services previously forecast that Russian forces could reach the outskirts of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk by early 2027.

Ukrainian Counterattack Near Lyman

Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed a forward Russian position north of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast and pushed the enemy back toward the Zherebets River, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). ISW analysts said Ukrainian counterattacks in recent months have weakened the Russian command's ability to implement a large-scale encirclement plan for the Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Druzhkivka areas from the north and southwest. Russian military bloggers also reported the loss of forward positions near Lyman and a shift of fighting toward defensive lines along the Zherebets River.

Russian Objectives and Forecasts

ISW noted that Russia's main objective remains unchanged: Moscow seeks to capture Lyman and then create conditions to encircle a major Ukrainian defense line in Donbas. Western intelligence services previously forecast that Russian forces could reach the outskirts of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk by early 2027. However, such an operation would likely result in heavy losses for the Russian army.