For weeks, the picture around Liman showed an area where Russia was trying to maintain and expand its pressure towards the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk line. In recent days, however, this picture has begun to change.
Ukrainian forces did not limit themselves to defense, but switched to an operation that led to the shrinkage and eventual elimination of the Russian salient north of Liman.
According to the latest data, the last Russian units abandoned positions west of the Nitryu River and retreated towards the Zherebets River.
Ukrainian forces have recaptured the villages of Sadrycholove, Serednye, Zelena Dolnya, Derylove and Novomykhailivka, as well as most of the forests between them.
In total, the Russians have lost 157 square kilometers of territory in a region that was 90% Russian-speaking before the war and has suffered terribly from Ukrainian persecution since 2014.
At the same time, the Ukrainians have regained a number of villages and forest areas, while pushing from different directions towards the river and Russian positions around Terni, Ivanovka, Kolondyazi and Zarichne.
The Ukrainian operation itself has now taken on greater depth than a simple local counterattack.
Importantly, this development did not occur within a few days.
Ukrainian counterattacks north of Liman, combined with supply problems for Russian units caused by Ukrainian drone strikes, had forced parts of the Russian forces to withdraw.
At the same time, the Russian flank in the area remained vulnerable to being cut off from the main forces.
- The elimination of the Russian salient north of Liman reduces the pressure on Ukrainian positions and limits the risk of the area being used as a base for further pressure on Sloviansk.
- At the same time, it reduces the possibility of Liman being threatened from the north and west.
The Russian spring-summer offensive of 2026 had not led to a noticeable operational breakthrough of the Ukrainian defense, while the Ukrainian counterattacks in Liman constitute one of the most significant reverse movements in recent times.
Moscow still has strong forces and continues to press on other points of the front, including east and south of the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk region.
However, something different has happened in Liman recently. The Russian advance did not continue, but retreated.
And this turns this particular region into one of the most interesting points on the front, just as Moscow and Kiev are returning – albeit temporarily – to the negotiating table.
