According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian town of Lyman has fallen completely under the grip of Russian and Russian-backed forces in Eastern Ukraine.
The assertion comes a day after pro-Russian rebels from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic declared complete control of the town, a railway hub west of Sievierodonetsk.
Ukraine announced on Friday that Russia had secured the majority of Lyman, but that its soldiers were preventing an advance on Sloviansk, a city a half-hour drive to the southwest. For several days, Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been battling for Lyman.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Presidential Adviser and peace negotiations negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak stated on Saturday that any deal with Russia cannot be trusted and that Moscow’s invasion can only be stopped by force.
Podolyak commented on the Telegram messaging service, “Any arrangement with Russia isn’t worth a broken coin.” “Can you deal with a government that lies cynically and propagandistically?”
After peace talks broke down, Russia and Ukraine blamed one other, with the last known face-to-face meetings taking place on March 29.
Meanwhile, Russia has successfully tested a new hypersonic missile called Zircon, which has a range of over 1,000 kilometers (625 miles), according to the news agency Reuters. According to Reuters, the missile was launched from the Barents Sea and hit a target in the White Sea, a distance of around 1,016 kilometers (631 miles). Russia claimed to have shot the Zircon from a submerged submarine in previous testing.