[14] On 24 March 2022, a month into the Russian invasion of Ukraine,[15] Russia claimed to control 93% of Luhansk Oblast,[16] leaving Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk as strategically important Ukrainian holdouts in the area.

[17] By 6 April, Russian forces had reportedly captured 60% of Rubizhne,[18] and shells and rockets were landing in Sievierodonetsk at "regular, sustained intervals".

[20] South of Lyman, the battle of the Siverskyi Donets occurred mid-May 2022, with Ukraine repelling multiple Russian attempts to cross the river.

[29][30] Igor Girkin reported that the Russian army had retreated and units from the LPR and DPR forces were defending forested areas near Lyman.

[6] BARS-13 commander Sergei Fomchenkov publicly warned that his troops' position was "extremely difficult", but initially expressed the belief that the city could be held.

[39] By 28 September, Ukrainian forces had recaptured Karpivka, Nove, Ridkodub, and Novoselivka in Donetsk Oblast, and were advancing eastward to liberate Katerynivka.

[39][40] It was also reported that Ukrainian forces had liberated Zelena Dolyna, about 15 km north of Lyman and directly south of Nove and northeast of Shandryholove.

[43] By 30 September, Russian war correspondent, Semyon Pegov (aka WarGonzo), reported that the last highway into Lyman had been cut off by Ukrainian forces, calling the situation "extremely difficult" for the Russian soldiers there,[44] and pointed out then "elements of the BARS-13 detachment and the 752nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 20th Combined Arms Army, which are reportedly defending around Drobysheve and into Lyman.

[11] Following the battle, British intelligence assessed that the Russian forces defending the town were a mixed group of mobilized reservists and depleted professional troops.

[53] Based on social media messages and announcements of combat losses, the BBC assessed that the 1,600-strong 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade suffered its worst casualties to date during fighting in Lyman, with the possibility that 75% of its reconnaissance company troops were lost.

[11] Ukraine regained an important railroad hub, allowing mop-up operations in northern Donetsk Oblast (on the left side of the Siverskyi Donets river).

[57][58] The recapture of Lyman also dealt a blow to the legitimacy of the Russian annexation of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts on 30 September 2022, and opened the doors to possible northward and eastward advance to Svatove and Kreminna.

[61] On 20 October, Donetsk Oblast Police Department reported that the bodies of 111 civilians and 35 soldiers were found in a mass burial site consisting of trenches, with some graves unmarked.