For the first time, Ukrainians fight along with Russia to scare off Zelensky’s troops

The Ukraine war started with a clarion call from Russian President Vladimir Putin by formally recognizing the Luhansk region as an independent territory. Finally, four months later, Putin officially declared victory over Ukraine in a hard-fought war in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. Russia annexing Ukraine territory is nothing new, but Lysychansk in Luhansk region had a different storyline that calls attention.

Ukraine has been relying heavily on the narrative war rather than facing the Russian might in the field. Ukrainian President was affected by a pro-West syndrome and went ahead with every move Washington suggested without gauging the repercussions that their neighbour could heave upon them.

Ukraine underestimated Russia

Viewing everything through the myopic lens has bruised Ukraine badly, with the latest drubbing being Russia taking full control over the Luhansk region after Ukrainian withdrawal from the bombed-out city of Lysychansk.

Luhansk region made a slip away from Ukraine’s hands of power back in 2014. Russia has been actively sowing seeds of power in the region by supplying aid, vaccines, and other materials that helped the region by large. Most of the people of Luhansk thus harbour a softer stance on Russia and devote their allegiance to Russia than to Ukraine.

The Russian aids and help are not a red herring meant to lure the populace of Luhansk to Moscow’s side, but a rigid cultural history of the erstwhile soviet regime makes it difficult for the people of Luhansk to align with Ukraine.

After the fall of Sievierodonetsk, Zelensky hurled out some big talks that Lysychansk would never be given away to a belligerent Russian hand. But the fierce parley from the Ukrainian President had a short life span of just two weeks. Russia now has total control of the industrial city of Lysychansk, overlooking the Siverskyi Donets River.

Russian soldiers posed for pictures outside Lysychansk City Hall, chanting, “Lysychansk is ours” and waving the flag of the Luhansk People’s Republic — the Ukrainian separatist state that Putin vowed to protect when Ukraine forces invaded Luhansk.

Yes, it was the Ukrainian separatist that held their fortress from the offensives of the Ukrainian army. Western military elites were ambiguous about Russia’s victory in the Kyiv-held bastion of Luhansk. But it never ran through these analysts’ minds that the real threat was from the Ukrainians themselves. Huge paper cuttings and Op-eds may picture the separatist as Russians but it never takes away the fact that the same people Zelensky considers Ukrainians fought their hearts out to defend their sovereignty from the Ukraine state led by Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine Perturbed

Andrei Marotchko, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian separatist told TASS: “Today the Luhansk popular militia and Russian forces occupied the last strategic heights, which allows us to confirm that Lysychansk is completely encircled.’’

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign ministry went full tirade on France’s Agence France-Presse news agency and accused them of falling for the Russian bait by calling forces of the Lugansk People’s Republic “Ukrainian separatists” rather than “Russia’s invading army.”

Despite the foreign ministries’ indignation, it is quite a known fact that LPR troops have been in conflict with Ukrainian forces off and on since 2014, eight years before Russia recognized the republic’s independence and sent its troops into Ukraine.

After the retreat by Ukrainian troops from the Lsysychansks region, many homes were flying Luhansk People’s Militia’s red hammer-and-sickle flag marking the return of joy after a month-long battle with Ukrainian forces.

But, Zelensky is not robbed completely of the optimism that he proudly displays. In his video address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday night said, “Thanks to our tactics, thanks to the increased supply of modern weapons, Ukrainian forces will return to Lysychansk.”

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