Russian troops retreat near Lyman as Putin's battlefield claims unravel - ISW

According to American analysts, Russian milbloggers are increasingly acknowledging successful Ukrainian counterattacks near Lyman.

Moreover, they are publicly criticizing the Russian military command for spreading false information about the situation on the front line.

One Russian blogger claimed that Ukrainian forces have been conducting counterattacks near Lyman for several months.

At the same time, official reports from the Russian military command and maps published by other Russian milbloggers had long presented a much more "optimistic" picture.

Russian bloggers criticize the culture of lies

Recently, there have been calls to ban the so-called good news reports common in the Russian army — meaning false or overly optimistic reports about the situation on the front line.

Russian milbloggers are increasingly expressing dissatisfaction with officials' claims about the alleged successful advance of Russian troops, especially in the Lyman direction.

They also drew attention to the situation in Sviatohirsk, located northwest of Lyman. Ukrainian forces recently demonstrated full control over the city.

Importantly, this came just days after Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin claimed that Russian forces had captured it.

False reports create problems for the Russian army

Russian bloggers also complain that the spread of inaccurate information about the situation on the front line has direct operational consequences, for example:

• Russian troops do not receive fire support at positions that had previously been declared captured;

• Units in neighboring areas plan their actions based on an incorrect assessment of the situation;

• Commanders often make decisions based on distorted information about the front line.

Earlier, it was reported that Russian army losses in the war broke several negative records at once.

In addition, Ukraine's Defense Forces have made new gains in Donbas.