Though Russia can claim a prize with its capture of Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region, the win is far from Moscow's ambitious early war aims and does not deal Kyiv a decisive military blow.
The Russian assault will now switch its focus to the rest of the Donbas industrial heartland, but Kyiv will find it easier to defend fortified positions in the Donetsk region and the battles that will shape the war's course still lie ahead, military analysts have said.
"I think it's a tactical victory for Russia but at an enormous cost within the context of redefined military goals," said Neil Melvin, a London-based RUSI think tank analyst.