Russian bloggers rage at false frontline reports as Ukraine advances near Lyman — ISW

Russian military bloggers are openly admitting to Ukrainian counterattacks near Lyman, while condemning the Russian military's habit of disseminating false battlefield reports, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) report dated September 9. The bloggers noted that the positioning of Russian forces around Lyman is weakening, prompting occupation forces to abandon some forward positions, though they did not specify the exact areas.

One milblogger emphasized that Ukrainian forces have been launching counterattacks along this front for several months, despite Russian commanders and mapmakers presenting a far more optimistic scenario. The bloggers stated that false frontline summaries, dubbed "pretty reports" by the community, must be banned entirely. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have recently asserted control over Svyatohirsk, located northwest of Lyman, just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin falsely asserted Russian troops dominated the town.

Russian milbloggers admitted to Ukraine's exposure of Putin's propaganda about Svyatohirsk and are growing increasingly frustrated with misleading claims made by Russian officials regarding territorial gains, particularly along the Lyman axis. However, the ISW reported that the precise extent of frontline movements in the Lyman sector remains unclear due to limited open-source verification of recent Ukrainian counteroffensive actions.

The think tank cautioned that their conservative mapping approach probably underestimates the true magnitude of Ukrainian advances in the region. ISW highlighted that as fresh open-source intelligence becomes available, analysts will be better positioned to delineate the liberated territory with greater accuracy. Reports surfaced on September 8 indicating that the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched counteroffensive operations near Lyman in Donetsk Oblast as early as May, which OSINT analyst Clément Molin revealed had been classified in secrecy for four months.

Molin's assessment confirmed that Ukrainian troops liberated several settlements, dismantled a vulnerable Russian salient, and pushed occupying units back across the Zherebets River. Informed BBC sources confirmed the ongoing offensive operation.