LYMAN* The recapture of Lyman in the Donetsk region is a key factor for "further de-occupation" in the neighbouring Luhansk region, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said. * U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin cheered the recapture of Lyman, saying on Saturday it was an encouraging battlefield success and that the loss of the logistics and transport hub will pose a dilemma for Russia's military. * Russia said on Saturday its troops had withdrawn from Lyman to avoid being surrounded by Ukraine's army. * Ramzan Kadyrov, an ally of President Vladimir Putin and head of Russia's Chechnya region, said on Saturday Moscow should consider using a low-yield nuclear weapon in Ukraine after the loss of Lyman. DIPLOMACY* Pope Francis made an impassioned appeal to Putin to stop "this spiral of violence and death" in Ukraine, saying the crisis there was risking a nuclear escalation with uncontrollable global consequences.

Source: Indian Express October 02, 2022 19:58 UTC