Franceinfo met Sasha, a 30-year-old Ukrainian who commands a special forces unit and spent two semalas in the Ukrainian town of Lyman, annexed by Moscow and then returned to Ukrainian control after heavy fighting.
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Barely 30, Sasha heads a Ukrainian special forces unit with which he spent nearly two weeks in Lyman, Ukraine.. Franceinfo met him two days before the withdrawal of the Russian army. “The fighting is very violent, he testifies. There is no respite: it’s 24 hours a day. Artillery fire never stops, like airstrikes.”
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And as always, since the beginning of this counter-offensive, the Russian defense lines have collapsed: a new military success for the army of kyiv which highlights the decisive role of the weapons sent by the West.
“Remember that we are fighting against the second army in the world, Sasha points out. At first, we couldn’t move forward, but the modern weapons we received made the difference and we were able to break through quickly.”
“We are really grateful to the foreign partners who have helped us because it allows us to get closer to victory.”
By taking control of Lyman, the Ukrainian army seized one of Russia’s main rear bases, a crucial railway junction for the continuation of the kyiv counter-offensive. “Lyman is strategic, he explains, because the city is on the other bank of the Severskyi Donetsk river, which is a natural obstacle: controlling it will allow us to transport materials, vehicles and equipment to the other side. This will therefore facilitate our progress in cleaning up the Donetsk region.”
But after the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions by Russia, the fear of a nuclear strike has never been higher, recognizes Sacha. “Putin is a fanatic, he believes. He understood that he was losing the war, but he doesn’t want to admit it. He is sick. He will do anything to save face.” This nuclear threat has not weakened the determination of the Ukrainian soldiers who are continuing their advance towards Lyssytchansk, the last city conquered by Moscow last July.
War in Ukraine: “The fighting is very violent, there is no respite”, testifies a soldier who returned from Lyman – the report by Omar Ouahmane and Jérémy Tuil
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