The Lugansk People's Republic has declared their independence from the Zelensky regime.
Russia has captured 100% of Luhansk oblast, the first Ukrainian oblast now completely out of Kiev’s control.
— Serge (@Zinvor) July 3, 2022
The Lugansk People’s Republic is now complete.
Dark green: LPR 2014-2022
Green: LPR gains in 2022
Light green: The last sliver Ukraine lost today (Bilohorivka salient) pic.twitter.com/tQgSrKHo72
Russian advances in the Lisichansk area between June 25th & July 3rd pic.twitter.com/axuPzvJvzC
— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) July 3, 2022
NEWS: Ukraine, Russia, Donbass, [Jul 3, 2022]
— THAMIR Al-Salihy (@talsalihy3) July 4, 2022
The Russian military installed the Victory Banner in Belogorovka.
It was the last settlement of the LPR, which remained under the control of the Kiev regime. Now the republic is completely liberated.
Video of the TV channel "Zvezda". pic.twitter.com/9d8QDJRfwq
From RT, "Donbass republic fully liberated – Russian defense minister":
The last remnants of Ukrainian forces have been driven out of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced on Sunday. He reported the news to President Vladimir Putin, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Shoigu said Russian troops and Donbass forces had completely seized Lisichansk, the last major city which had remained under Ukrainian control since 2014, when the LPR declared its independence shortly after a coup in Kiev.
Russia and Ukraine reported heavy fighting around Lisichansk earlier this week, with the most fierce combat occurring at the city’s oil refinery.
News of the capture of Lisichansk comes after Ukrainian troops retreated from Severodonetsk, a nearby city on the opposite side of the Seversky Donets River, last week. The fighting for Severodonetsk had lasted for several months.
Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”
In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked.
The Washington Post on Saturday ran an article stating that among "analysts and U.S. lawmakers" some are "questioning whether American officials have portrayed the crisis in overly rosy terms."
"U.S. officials acknowledge that as Russian forces have massed firepower, they have gradually seized territory in eastern Ukraine," the Post reported. "That includes capturing the strategically important city of Severodonetsk in June and pressing to do the same in its nearby sister city of Lysychansk. Russia claimed control of the latter city on Sunday, while Ukrainian officials acknowledged their military had withdrawn."
Remember how the media refused to acknowledge Azov surrendered in Azovstal back in May? We're seeing similar now with their refusal to acknowledge Russia's victory over the Donbass.
Taking control of the Donbass has been Putin's stated goal for months (after it became clear Kiev wasn't going to fall in a week).
Yesterday at Lysychansk, with subtitles.
— Gonzalo Lira (@GonzaloLira1968) July 3, 2022
Sure, you can claim that this video is Russian propaganda.
But the reaction of these ladies is absolutely genuine, you can’t deny that.
Which would imply . . . [please respond below]pic.twitter.com/jysnbUwHZk
Syria became one of the first nations to acknowledge the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, trigging whining from Antony Blinken's State Department.
The Assad regime’s recognition of the so-called Luhansk and Donetsk “People’s Republics” reveals the regime’s isolation. It also shows the regime’s disdain for international norms of behavior and hypocrisy regarding claims of sovereignty.
— U.S. State Dept - Near Eastern Affairs (@StateDept_NEA) June 30, 2022
The Zelensky regime meanwhile might be using the long-range missile systems America sent them to carry out strikes in Russia -- which is exactly what they "promised" the US they wouldn't do so as to avoid triggering World War III.
AFU fired at Belgorod, five civilians were killed. pic.twitter.com/xrQOcl2Vlh
— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) July 3, 2022
They're most certainly using U.S. intelligence to conduct the strikes.
Federation Council member Vladimir Dzhabarov says Russia may sanction Maxar Technologies, as the GeoEye-1, Worldview-2 & Worldview-3 satellites were observing Belgorod in the days before a Ukrainian missile barrage hit the city, damaged 10s of buildings & killed several civilians
— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) July 4, 2022
From the BBC, "Ukraine blamed by Russia for deadly blast in border city of Belgorod":
Russia has accused Ukraine over explosions which reportedly killed three people in the city of Belgorod, near the border with Ukraine.
The regional governor said the blasts hit dozens of residential buildings and air defences had been activated.
The Kremlin said that Sunday's attack had been a deliberate attempt by Ukrainian forces to target civilians.
[...] Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said air defences had destroyed three Ukrainian Tochka-U ballistic missiles with cluster warheads, but fragments of one of them fell on a block of flats.
"This missile attack was intentionally planned and launched at the civilian population," he added.
Here's footage of the U.S. HIMARS in action:
Reportedly the first footage of American HIMARS MLRS being used by Ukraine in combat.https://t.co/06Eq038LkP pic.twitter.com/lf9Lx7PiiI
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) June 24, 2022
Video of Ukrainian HIMARS firing on Russian targets at night. With GPS guided munitions, HIMARS can accurately engage targets at night when Russian UAVs will be less effective at locating them. https://t.co/lAa8UKq272 pic.twitter.com/3eCoz7qOTr
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) July 3, 2022
Ukrainian forces may have also carried out a 911-style strike on the civilian Capital Towers in the center of Moscow.
NOW - Fire at the "Capital Towers" in the center of #Moscow.pic.twitter.com/vjcpPxXGea
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 3, 2022
⚡️ Russian media reports that the roof of the Capital Towers tower near Moscow City is burning in Moscow. pic.twitter.com/g5mF3JMGRv
— Flash (@Flash43191300) July 3, 2022
Ukraine has been indiscriminately bombing civilians in the Donbass for nearly a decade. Some 14,000 civilians have been killed by Ukrainian forces shelling civilian areas in the Donbass since 2014 and most people there are thrilled to see a Russian victory.
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