The liberation of the city was announced a day after Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, including Donetsk, which are partially under Russian occupation.

"Russia has set up a farce in Donbass.

An absolute farce that wanted to be presented as a referendum... And now there is a Ukrainian flag... The Ukrainian flag is already in Liman, Donetsk region.

Fighting is still going on there.

But there is no trace of any pseudo-referendum," Zelensky said in a video message on the evening of October 1.

On October 2, he declared that Liman was "completely cleared."

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the evening before that Russian troops had left Liman, retreating to "more advantageous positions."

The front now passes to the east of the city, approximately along the administrative border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the Ukrainian military continues its attempts to advance towards the city of Kramennaya in the Luhansk region.

Photos and videos of Ukrainian soldiers in the center of Liman have been published on social networks.

In one of the videos, they inspect the reception room of the head of the so-called "DPR" Denis Pushilin with portraits of Pushilin himself and Putin.

US Defense Minister

called the capture of Liman a significant success of Ukrainian forces.

In his speech, Zelensky also noted that high-ranking representatives of Russia "have already started biting each other."

He clearly meant the statement of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who blamed Alexander Lapin, the commander of the Central Military District of Russia, for the failure at Liman.

"Until you all solve the problem with the one who started all this, who started this senseless for Russia war against Ukraine, you will be killed one by one, making scapegoats," Zelensky addressed the representatives of the Russian elites.

Earlier, the president of Ukraine said that Kyiv will not negotiate with Putin, but is ready for negotiations if Russia has another president.