“After 4 months of counteroffensive operations near Lyman, the Ukrainian 3rd Army Corps managed to cut off the russian salient north of Lyman and liberate more than 200 km². This is one of Ukraine’s most important victories in 2026, which will delay the offensive toward northern Donbas”, - French OSINT analyst Clément Molin wrote on September 8.
He notes that the results of this offensive are significant, as this is a very important area in eastern Ukraine.
“This prominent stretch of territory was a base for the offensive toward Lyman, which could have enabled further offensives toward Izium and Sloviansk, threatening the northern supply route to Donbas. This area had already been a site of fighting in May 2022, September 2022, and May 2025, when russia managed, after two years of very heavy losses, to capture some critical Ukrainian positions”, - the military analyst recalled.