Is Putin closer to declaring victory in Ukraine?

The capture of Luhansk puts Putin closer to some form of victory in Ukraine, though Russian forces will have to contend with counterattacks, long-range bombardment, and covert operations; while on the southern front, Ukrainian units close in on Kherson city.

Will that map be enough for Putin to attempt to declare victory?

“I think Russia’s plan right now is to capture Donbas and to see what they can do next,” Oleg Ignatov, Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Russia, told Newsweek, noting that it remains unclear whether Russian troops have strength to continue their westward push.

“They declared that Russia must take over Donbas,” Ignatov added. “That’s the minimum goal. If they don’t achieve this goal, they will lose. So I think they understand that they will have to do everything for that. It could take months and there will be a lot of casualties, yes, but they want to do this.”