"The information is tense, let's put it that way, because, yes, there were indeed breakthroughs," the official, Vladimir Saldo told Russian state television.UKRAINE'S SOLDIERS INCH TOWARD SIEVIERODONETSK IN MAJOR COUNTEROFFENSIVERUSSIAN STRIKE KILLS 25 PEOPLE IN UKRAINE AMID MOSCOW PREPARATION TO ANNEX TERRITORY: OFFICIALSUkraine has made significant advances in the Dontesk region as well, with Russian troops withdrawing from the key city of Lyman on Friday just hours after Putin claimed to annex the region with a ceremony in Moscow.Putin held an extravagant event in Moscow to announce Russia's annexing of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions on Friday, declaring the residents there Russian citizens.MASS GRAVE SITE WITH 1,100 BODIES FOUND IN BURN PITS OUTSIDE LIBERATED IZYUMRussian proxies in the regions claimed to have garnered 87% of civilian support in Kherson, 93% in Zaporizhzhia, 98% in Luhansk and 99% in Donetsk.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPNevertheless, Putin's move comes amid weeks of success for the Ukrainian military, beginning with an extensive counteroffensive in early September."