Russia takes the Luhansk province

Ukrainian troops withdrew from the city of Lysychansk on Sunday, and Russia declared victory in all of Luhansk on Monday. The Luhansk and Donetsk provinces make up the fiercely contested eastern Donbas region. The governor of Luhansk said Ukrainian forces may have been able to hold out for a few more weeks, but they were being encircled and the cost would have been too high. In their withdrawal, the Ukrainians evacuated all of their wounded and equipment.

What’s next for Russia? It holds about half of the Donetsk province and will likely focus its troops on taking the other half, the British Defense Ministry said. Russia has a significant advantage in equipment, but not troops, making its advance slow and costly. Russian governors have also said that Ukraine is bombing towns at their border.

Dig deeper: Listen to Jill Nelson’s report in The World and Everything in It podcast on whether international courts will be able to prosecute Russian leaders for war crimes.