Russia said Saturday it had withdrawn troops from the city of Lyman as Ukraine’s military inched closer to re-capturing the annexed city, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: The withdrawal comes one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed four regions of Ukraine, including the Donetsk region where Lyman is located.
The latest: Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the southern Chechnya region who describes himself as a footsoldier of Putin, said called for more drastic measures, per Reuters.
- “In my personal opinion, more drastic measures should be taken, right up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram.
Details: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry confirmed on Twitter Saturday that its forces had entered the city.
- In a video posted by the ministry, two soldiers can be seen unraveling the Ukrainian flag.
- The ministry said Ukraine’s army “has and will always have the decisive vote in today’s and any future ‘referendums'” — a pointed reference to Putin’s annexation.
- Ukrainian forces are inching closer to capturing the city as unverified footage and photos show Ukraine may have the upper hand, according to the New York Times.
- Russia’s defense ministry told local media that Russia would withdraw from the city, AP reports.
The big picture: Putin claimed in a speech Friday that Russia would annex four regions of Ukraine — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Axios’ Dave Lawler writes.
- Russia currently occupies those regions. Putin held stage referendums over the last few days that claimed the Ukrainian people supported the measure.
- Putin said that the people in those regions “have become our citizens forever.”
What we’re watching: Ukraine may push into the occupied Luhansk region, which is another region Russia annexed, per AP.
Go deeper: Putin claims 15% of Ukraine is now part of Russia
