• Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday congratulated troops for “liberating” Ukraine’s Luhansk province.
• Russian forces are now turning their attention to capturing more parts of the neighboring Donetsk region of the Donbas.
• Local officials expect Russian forces to concentrate their attacks on Sloviansk.

Following many weeks of intense combat; the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk was “free” on Monday; according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Although the total number of fatalities is not yet known; a significant percentage of the area’s infrastructure; including residential structures, has been destroyed. Following Sunday’s intense bombardment of the province; local authorities claim that Russian forces are now concentrating on taking more areas; of the nearby Donetsk region of the Donbas.

The governor of the Donetsk province, Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported a “tough Sunday in the Donetsk area [with] missile attacks; and shelling throughout the territory” along with several civilian deaths.

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Serhiy Haidai, the regional governor of Luhansk, anticipates that Russian forces will focus their assaults on Sloviansk; the first city in Donetsk to be taken by Russian-backed forces in 2014. Sloviansk had a pre-war population of about 100,000. Three months later, Ukrainian forces retook it.

Fighting between Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces has sometimes taken place in Luhansk and Donetsk.

Capturing the Donbas is a “unconditional priority” by Moscow.

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