Ukraine Forces Raise Flag Over Luhansk, But Fighting Continues

Locals Report Heavy Shelling in Key Rebel Stronghold

Ukrainian forces attacked the rebel city of Luhansk today, with locals reporting heavy shelling across the city and the military making a point of raising their flag over a police station they took in the fighting.

Raising the flag may be a bit premature, as the rebels continue to control much of the city, and shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 earlier today over Luhansk, one of their few important remaining strongholds.

As the easternmost provincial capital, and just a few miles from the Russian border, Luhansk is a particularly strategically important site, allowing rebels access to the border and giving civilians a corridor through which to escape.

Rebel leaders continue to insist that they are close to launching a counter-offensive. The indications right now are that the military has the advantage, however, and as the fighting nears the heavily populated cities, the crisis is only growing.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.