Ukraine estimates that at least 5,000 Russian military personnel are surrounded in Liman city

The Ukrainian government estimates that at least 5,000 Russian military personnel are surrounded by Ukrainian national defense forces in the town of Liman, considered the gateway to the Lugansk region, partially under control of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.

Pro-Russian authorities had already confirmed that the Liman military is under siege following a new Ukrainian operation launched in recent days.

Now, the Ukrainian governor of the Lugansk region, Serhiy Haidai, has confirmed the approximate number of surrounded Russian servicemen. “They asked the Russian Army command to let them leave the area, but their request was rejected,” he has made known.

“Now they have three options: either they surrender, or they try to break through the encirclement, or they die all together,” the governor said, before confirming that this is the largest contingent of Russian servicemen under siege since the beginning of the war.

The leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, already acknowledged this Friday the siege in the city and described as “worrying” the information coming from the field.

The pro-Russian leader called for “resistance” against the onslaught of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which have made significant gains in the east since launching a military counteroffensive a month ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed the accession of territories under his control in Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporiyia, in a new step to try to legitimize Russian sovereignty over militarily occupied territories.