Russia Moves Closer To Taking The Donbas As Final Luhansk City Falls

Russia moved a step closer to assuming control of Ukraine’s Donbas over the weekend. Russian Defence Minister Shoigu stated that Russia had “liberated” the whole of the Luhansk region after taking control of Lysychansk, which was Ukraine’s last major foothold in the area. Ukraine later confirmed that it has had to withdraw from the city, leaving only a few smaller settlements in Luhansk under its control. Ukraine’s general staff have pledged to return and win back control.

• With Russia still focused on capturing the Donbas region, most now expect the Russian forces to switch their focus to the cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, which are the biggest cities in the Donetsk area that remain under Ukrainian control.
• The weekend also saw another strike on the Russian city of Belgorod, with at least three killed and dozens of residential buildings under fire. Russia continues to blame Ukraine for the attacks, although the Ukrainians have yet to accept accountability for this specific act, as well as similar attacks seen during recent months. Ukraine once again pointed to Russian “lies” re: the matter.
• Finally, Belarusian President Lukashenko flagged Ukrainian attempts to damage military facilities on Belarusian territory in recent days, although he noted that the missiles had been intercepted. Lukashenko once again suggested that Belarus does not want to be at war with Ukraine.