The Institute for the Study of War reported that Russian leadership may be setting conditions for an operational pause following the seizure of Lysychansk and the Luhansk Oblast boundary.
Russian forces are consolidating territorial and administrative control over Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.
Russian forces continued offensive operations to the east of Bakhmut to prepare for advances on Bakhmut and Siversk.
The Russian army captured the strategically important city of Lysychansk and plans to send all its forces to the southwest to capture Slovyansk and Kramatorsk in the same way, writes NYT. Military analysts say that the next phase of the battle for Donbas will be no less bloody than the previous one.
On July 4, Russian Defense Minister Serhiy Shoigu made a detailed report of the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian front. Putin congratulated the military, awarding Colonel-General Oleksandr Lapin and Major-General Esedulla Abachev the title of Hero of Russia for their leadership of the Lysychansk operation. The Kremlin despot also encouraged the military units took part in the take-over of Luhansk Oblast to have some rest and recuperation.
