Lyman is key logistics hub in eastern Donetsk region. Capture could aid attacks on neighbouring Luhansk region. Loss triggers Russian criticism, call for escalation.

Ukraine said on Sunday it was in full control of the eastern logistics hub of Lyman, Kyiv's most significant battlefield gain in weeks, which a senior official said could provide a staging post for further gains to the east.

"As of 09:30 GMT, Lyman is fully cleared," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a short video clip on his Telegram channel.

There was no comment from the Russian armed forces on Sunday on the status of the city. 

The Russian defence ministry said on Saturday it was pulling troops out of the area "in connection with the creation of a threat of encirclement".

The latest stinging setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin came after he proclaimed the annexation of four regions covering nearly a fifth of Ukraine on Friday, an area that includes Lyman.

Kyiv and the West have condemned the proclamation as an illegitimate farce.

Russian forces captured Lyman from Ukraine in May and had used it as a logistics and transport hub for its operations in the north of the Donetsk region. Losing it is Russia's largest battlefield loss since Ukraine's lightning counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region last month.

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