Russia Declares Donbass Republic 'Fully Liberated'; U.S. Media Begins Walking Back 'Rosy' Coverage of Ukraine

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 Russia claimed control of the latter city on Sunday, while Ukrainian officials acknowledged their military had withdrawn."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).

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/82859/russia-declares-donbass-republic-fully-liberated-us-media-begins-walking-back-rosy-coverage-of.html