Ukrainians take up new positions as Putin proclaims victory in Luhansk

KYIV (HRNW) – Ukrainian forces were taking up new defensive lines in the east on Monday, preparing for a hard new phase in the war as President Vladimir Putin proclaimed Russia s victory in the months-long battle of Luhansk.

Russia s capture of the city of Lysychansk on Sunday brought an end to one of the biggest battles in Europe for generations, which saw Moscow bring the full might of its ground forces to bear on a small pocket of the front line for two months.
The battle completes Russia s conquest of Luhansk province, one of two regions it has demanded Ukraine cede to separatists in the Donbas region.

During a brief televised meeting with his defence minister, Putin congratulated Russian forces on their “victories in the Luhansk direction”. Those who participated in the combat should “absolutely rest and recover their military preparedness”, while other units continue fighting in other areas, he said.

The battle is the closest Moscow has come to achieving one of its stated objectives since its forces were defeated trying to capture Kyiv in March, and marks Russia s biggest victory since it captured the southern port of Mariupol in late May.

Both sides suffered thousands dead and wounded, while claiming to have inflicted far greater losses on their enemy, along a loop of the Siverskyi Donets river that winds through Luhansk and Donetsk.