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A top Russian official has claimed that Moscow now fully controls Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region amid Russia’s recently launched summer offensive.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, both Russia and Ukraine traditionally launch major offensives during the summer due to favorable battlefield conditions. Summer brings dry, firm terrain, enabling the movement of heavy equipment, tanks, and logistics convoys without the mud and impassable roads that make other seasons a pain in the ass to operate in. In 2022, Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive in Kharkiv and Kherson saw swift, large-scale advances that reclaimed significant territory and shocked Russian forces, who were caught overstretched and undersupplied. In contrast, in the summer of 2023, Russia launched renewed attacks along the eastern front and gained ground in some regions, ultimately leading to the fall of Bakhmut and other zones.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-appointed governor of Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk region, claimed that Russia now controls 100% of the territory, making it the first of the four annexed Ukrainian regions Russia claims to have fully taken over. Despite his claims, some Russian military bloggers dispute the claim, citing that two villages are likely under Ukrainian control.
Regardless, Russian forces have continued to make advances across eastern Ukraine, pushing through rural areas in Donetsk and reaching the border of Dnipropetrovsk for the first time. Recent gains include the capture of several villages such as Perebudova and Yalta, followed by advances toward Novoukrainka. Military experts suggest these movements are part of a broader Russian objective to establish a “buffer zone” up to 75 miles inside Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defence has echoed this strategy, suggesting long-term territorial aims beyond the officially annexed regions.
This comes as the US confirmed a temporary halt to the delivery of certain weapons to Ukraine, a move seen as detrimental to Kyiv’s ability to conduct long-range strikes. The White House stated the decision was made “to put America’s interests first following a review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe.” Among the delayed systems are precision-guided rocket artillery and other high-value munitions, which analysts say could impair Ukraine’s capacity to disrupt Russian supply lines and staging areas.
In response, Ukraine has intensified its own strike campaigns, increasingly targeting Russian weapons depots, airfields, and military hardware inside Russian-controlled areas and across the border. Today, Ukraine hit four drone production workshops at the Kupol plant in Izhevsk, Russia, forcing the facility to shut down. A few days earlier, Ukrainian drones hit the Kirovske airfield in Crimea, destroying at least three attack helicopters, according to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).
