Russian forces are attempting to create the illusion of numerical superiority over Ukrainian troops on the Lyman axis by raising flags and deploying drones. Despite active assaults along multiple fronts, Russian gains remain limited as Ukraine reports localized successes.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian troops tried to advance around Lyman on October 21โ22.
Fighting was reported northwest of the city near Drobysheve and nearby villages, as well as to the north near Stavky. Other clashes occurred to the northeast near Myrne and Kolodiazi and to the southeast near Yampil. Russian milbloggers also claimed Ukrainian forces counterattacked between Drobysheve and Stavky.
A representative of a Ukrainian brigade operating on the Lyman axis said Russian soldiers are avoiding direct engagements, sheltering in basements and dugouts while awaiting reinforcements. Russian commanders are reportedly ordering troops to raise flags for propaganda purposes to create the appearance of numerical dominance.
Unknown elite drone units, likely from the Rubikon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies, have also been deployed on this axis to disrupt Ukrainian ground lines of communication. Ukrainian electronic warfare operators neutralized about 1,200 Russian FPV drones in September, up from roughly 1,000 in August.
Elsewhere on October 21โ22, Russian forces carried out attacks in the north of Sumy and Kharkiv regions, including near Velykyi Burluk, Kupiansk and the Borova hromada, but made no significant advances. Offensive actions continued on the Siversk axis, in the KostiantynivkaโDruzhkivka area, in the Novopavlivka and Huliaipole sectors, in western Zaporizhzhia, and on the Velykomykhailivka and Kherson axes, with minimal results.
Ukrainian forces continue successful operations. In the Dobropillia tactical area, Ukraine liberated Kucheriv Yar northeast of the city and captured more than 50 Russian prisoners of war. Geolocated footage confirms Ukrainian strikes on the Lyman axis, including the destruction of a Russian BTR-82A armored personnel carrier north of Stavky. Near Pokrovsk, Russian troops advanced only southeast of Myrnohrad during a mechanized assault.
According to German Bundeswehr General Alexander Sollfrank, European countries should bolster support for Ukraine, as the outcome of the war in Kyiv will shape regional stability and the preservation of democratic values.
