Two Battles for the Lyman City (May 23 — October 2, 2022)

Abstract

The purpose is to study the course of the fi ghting in the northern part of the Donetsk region, specifically in the area of Lyman city, during the defense and liberation of this city (from May 23 to October 2, 2022).

The research methodology is built on the principles of historicism, impartiality, and Ukrainian-centrism. The work is based on the problem-chronological method. Methods of analysis and synthesis, historical-systemic, using a wide range of sources, are also applied.

The scientific novelty lies in the fact that it is the first comprehensive study of the hostilities in the specified area during the defensive and off ensive operations in the domestic historiography.

Main results. In 2022, the city of Lyman and the surrounding areas became the site of two operations for the Defense Forces of Ukraine: defensive (at the end of May) and off ensive (second half of September — beginning of October). At the end of May 2022, having concentrated significant forces and resorting to massive artillery shelling, the Russians managed to seize Lyman. However, they failed to develop their success. The city was under enemy occupation for four months. The liberation of Lyman became possible as a result of the successful conduct of the first stage of the Slobozhan off ensive operation. The battles for Lyman in late September — early October 2022 became one of the components of the second stage of this operation. The Ukrainian Defense Forces were able to liberate the city thanks to a skillful maneuver. Having created a threat of encirclement, they essentially forced the enemy garrison to leave the city. As a result of the liberation of Lyman, Ukraine regained an essential railway junction, creating the prerequisites for the possible continuation of off ensive operations in the northern part of the Donetsk region (on the left bank of the Siverskyi Donets River), including a possible off ensive to the north and east, to Svatove and Kreminna. The analysis conducted allowed us to outline the prospects for further research, which consists in a more detailed study of the course of the battles for Lyman in 2022 (and more broadly, operations in the north of Donetsk region and adjacent areas of Kharkiv and Luhansk regions) with an emphasis on studying individual combat episodes, searching for new sources, and introducing them into scientific circulation.