Ukrainian officer: Russian bloggers' panic over Lyman may be valid

"Very often — and this isn't the first time — Russian commanders show their senior political leadership achievements and positions that don't actually exist on the map," Kudryashov said on Radio NV, commenting on Russian reports suggesting that the invading force grouping on the Lyman front could find itself encircled.

“So in that context, in my view, certain panicked sentiments among Russian opinion leaders or military correspondents may well be objective. But wait for official communication — specifically official information from the 3rd Army Corps and other units carrying out missions in that direction [Lyman].”

On Aug. 7, Viktor Trehubov, spokesman for Ukraine's Joint Forces Grouping, said Russian invasion forces continued intense attempts to break through to Lyman and gain a foothold on the city's outskirts, but that Ukrainian defenses remained effective, with Ukrainian forces holding positions including in the areas of Zarichne and Yampil.

"There's a large gray zone — a large gray zone from Zarichne, a large gray zone from Yampil, right next to Lyman itself," the Joint Forces Group spokesman said at the time.

“These are essentially the infiltration routes their groups are using to try to break through. On the other hand, when we talk about Lyman, we're talking about a well-fortified location with sufficient personnel and an effectively built defense system, both on the ground and in the air. So, in fact, despite the high intensity of these attempts, the Russians' effectiveness isn't very high.”