Fears of Russian nuclear weapons mount as Putin remains defiant
Israel rejects annexation of four regions • Moscow suffers Donetsk defeat
russia said on saturday its troops had abandoned a key bastion in occupied eastern ukraine, a stinging defeat that prompted one of president Vladimir putin’s most hawkish allies to call for russia to consider resorting to lowgrade nuclear weapons.
the fall of Lyman came just a day after putin proclaimed the annexation of four ukrainian regions – including donetsk, where Lyman is located – and placed them under russia’s nuclear umbrella, at a ceremony that was condemned by Kyiv and the west as an illegitimate farce.
“in connection with the creation of a threat of encirclement, allied troops were withdrawn from the settlement of Krasny Liman to more advantageous lines,” russia’s defense ministry said, using the russian name of the town.
the statement ended hours of official silence from moscow after ukraine first said it had surrounded thousands of russian troops in the area, and then that its forces were inside the town of Lyman.
israel rejected russia’s claim to the four regions in ukraine on Friday.
“israel supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine. we will not recognize the annexation of four districts by russia. israel has repeated this clear stance many times, including in recent days,” the Foreign ministry stated.
in addition, the Foreign ministry warned dual israeli-russian citizens that they will be subject to russian laws, including conscription and bans from leaving the country, if they visit or remain in russia. jerusalem estimates that there are 30,000-50,000 such citizens.
ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the southern chechnya region who describes himself as a foot-soldier of putin, said he felt he had to speak out after the loss of the territory.
“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.
other top putin allies, including former president dmitry medvedev, have suggested russia may need to resort to nuclear weapons, but Kadyrov’s call was the most urgent and explicit.
putin said last week he was not bluffing when he said he was prepared to defend russia’s
“territorial integrity” with all available means, and on Friday making it clear that this extends to the new regions that Moscow has claimed.
Washington has said it would respond decisively to any use of nuclear weapons and has spelled out to Moscow the “catastrophic consequences” it would face.
The Russian Defense Ministry’s statement made no mention of its troops being encircled at Lyman, diverging starkly from Ukraine’s version of events.
In his comments, Kadyrov launched a blistering attack on Col.-Gen. Alexander Lapin, the commander overseeing Lyman, who he derided as a “mediocrity.” Kadyrov also said he personally
had warned Russia’s army chief, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, of a looming disaster.
“The general assured me he had no doubts about Lapin’s talent for leadership and did not think a retreat was possible in... Lyman and its surroundings,” he said.
Russia has used Lyman as a logistics and transportation hub for its operations in the north of the Donetsk region. Its capture is Ukraine’s biggest battlefield gain since a lightning counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region last month.
The Ukrainian military has said its capture would allow Kyiv to advance into the Luhansk region, whose full capture Moscow announced at the beginning of July after weeks of slow, grinding advances.
“Lyman is important because it is the next step toward the liberation of the Ukrainian Donbas,” according to Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern forces. “It is an opportunity to go further to Kreminna and Sievierodonetsk, and it is psychologically very important.”
The Donetsk and Luhansk regions together make up the wider Donbas region that has been a major focus for Russia since soon after the start of its invasion on February 24 in what it called a “special military operation” to demilitarize its neighbor.
Putin proclaimed the Donbas regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to be Russian land in Friday’s ceremony – a swath of territory equal to about 18% of Ukraine’s total land area.
Ukraine and its Western allies branded Russia’s move as illegal. Kyiv vowed to continue liberating its land from Russian forces, saying that it would not hold peace talks with Moscow while Putin remains president.
The United States, Britain and Canada announced new sanctions.
In one of his toughest anti-American speeches in more than two decades in power, Putin signaled that he was ready to continue what he called a battle for a “greater historical Russia,” slamming the West as out to destroy Russia and, without evidence, accusing Washington and its allies of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
US President Joe Biden, however, said it “was a deliberate act of sabotage and now the Russians are pumping out disinformation and lies,” adding that Washington and its allies would send divers to find out what happened.
Retired US Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of the US Army in Europe, said a Russian defeat in Lyman after Putin’s declaration would be a major political and military embarrassment for the Russian leader.
“This puts in bright lights that his claim is illegitimate and cannot be enforced,” he said.
It remained to be seen how Ukrainian commanders would exploit the rout, he said, adding that it likely would further erode the morale of the Russian troops who are holding other Ukrainian territory.