Today there is important news from the Lyman direction.

Here, as Russian forces push closer to Lyman and threaten to breach Ukrainian lines, a critical delivery of Latvian armored vehicles has arrived to reinforce the defenders. With this timely boost, elite Ukrainian brigades are now poised to counterattack and blunt the Russian advance before it can reach its objective.

Russian advances in the southern sector

On the southern flank, the Russians manage to put a large part of the forest under their control and even reach the outskirts of Yampil.

Russia has committed heavily in the Serebryanskyi forest, saturating the area with optic fiber drones targeting Ukrainian ground lines of communication, which is evident from the network of fibers seen in numerous geolocated videos and images.

Ukrainian defenders, after years of grueling resistance in the forest, were eventually forced to partially withdraw due to shortages of food, water and medical evacuation under the constant Russian drone strikes.

Russian infiltration attempts

Now Russian infiltrators are attempting, attempting to cross the Zarabets River and into the forest, even resorting to perfidy and operating in civilian clothes to penetrate Ukrainian lines.

Still, Ukrainian forces remain in Yampil and its surroundings by eliminating large numbers of enemy infiltrators.

Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade counterattack

Recognizing the opportunity for a pincer maneuver on Lyman, Russian commanders poured in reinforcements into their northern bridgehead, hoping to spread out and overwhelm Ukrainian defenses.

However, the 3rd Assault Brigade acted decisively and massively increased the pressure on the Russian northern flank.

Geolocated footage shows that the assault groups moved with high levels of aggression, clearing dugouts, eliminating Russian soldiers, and taking numerous prisoners of war.

Limitations of Ukrainian counterattacks

However, lacking armored support, the Ukrainians had to rely on mortars for covering fire. And while Ukraine was able to restore control over two key settlements, they were unable to break Russian resistance.

It was clear that without more armored vehicles to provide effective fire support and mechanized mobility, Ukrainian counterattacks wouldn’t be able to sustain their momentum against Russian forces shielded by drones.

Russian southern push and Ukrainian resistance

With the Ukrainian counterattack stalling, Russian forces pressed southward toward Lyman, taking control of several tactically significant areas.

However, still due to the Ukrainian pressure from the north, Russians were not able to achieve a full-on breakthrough.

Namely, the Russian goal was to advance even further and cut the western supply lines leading into Lyman, an operational Russian strategy executed several times before.

However, geolocated footage shows that as Russian forces moved south, Ukrainians cut down the small infantry groups with FPV drone strikes and artillery and as a result, dramatically slowed down the Russian pace. But the situation is quickly becoming untenable.

Latvian military aid package

Fortunately for the Ukrainians, Latvia came in at the clutch and announced the second delivery of 42 Patria armored personnel carriers to the 3rd Army Corps fighting at Lyman, enough to equip an entire Ukrainian mechanized battalion plus reserves.

These vehicles would give Ukrainian forces the protection and mobility needed to counter Russia’s advances and are especially relevant for the Lyman Axis, where Russian drone activity is high.

Vehicles are almost always hit, but with the infantry within having higher chance of survival in western-made armored vehicles, they can still execute the mission or withdraw and live to fight another day.

The Patria’s modular design makes it adaptable for troop transport, direct fire support and its amphibious system will give Ukrainians an additional advantage, with rivers and reservoirs complicating conventional maneuvers.

Strategic assessment and future outlook

Overall, with enhanced armor protection and multiple weapons configurations, these vehicles are directly addressing the challenges faced by the 3rd Army Corps.

Instead of exhausting infantry in repeated small-scale assaults, Ukraine can continue to employ mechanized tactics, using armored carriers to protect troops until they reach assault positions, rapidly redeploy units across threatened sectors and exploit Russian weaknesses when they appear.

42 vehicles may not sound decisive, but in practice they represent a transformational boost to the units holding the Lyman Axis. Even Russian analysts warned that the advance in the Serebryanskyi Forest is dangerous but far from decisive, as they sternly warn against expecting rapid breakthroughs toward Lyman in the near future.

With new armored vehicles arriving, Ukrainian forces are better positioned to stabilize their lines, absorb Russian pressure and prepare counter-attacks.

The fight for Lyman remains brutal and attritional, but Latvia’s timely delivery ensures Ukraine can contest the battlefield on more equal terms.