Russia says its troops left Lyman to avoid encirclement

Russia said on Saturday its troops had withdrawn from the town of Lyman in eastern Ukraine to avoid being surrounded by Ukraine's army.

"In connection with the creation of a threat of encirclement, allied troops were withdrawn from the settlement of Krasny Liman to more advantageous lines," the defence ministry said, using the Russian name of the town.

Ukraine's capture of Lyman, which has served for months as a logistics and transport hub for Russian operations, marked a major defeat for Moscow, a day after President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions. These include Donetsk, where Lyman is located. (Reporting by Reuters Editing by Gareth Jones)