Something EERIE is Happening in Luhansk... Russian Troops Are Too SCARED To Fight

Russia completely controls Luhansk.That was the grand declaration made by the Russian Ministry of Defense on April 1st, as it attempted to hammer home the point that Ukraine had lost a key region.But Luhansk isn't as under control as Russia believes.Right now there is something eerie happening in the region, as Russia's forces feel as though they're living in a real -life Terminator movie.The skies over Luhansk no longer belong to Russia.Ukraine owns them.

metal machines are dealing death to Putin's forces in Luhansk, and it's only a matter of days before we start to see the reversal of Ukraine's fortunes in the region.The Third Army Corps of Ukraine's Armed Forces has plenty to say about Russia's claims to control Luhansk.Taking the telegram, the Corps rubbished Russia's claims in an instant by revealing that it had pulled off an operation that demonstrates just how tenuous Russia's grasp on Luhansk really is.In response to the enemy's statements about the complete capture of the Luhansk region, we are announcing an operation to control logistics routes in the Luhansk region and Eastern Slobozansk region," the corps blared, adding, Luhansk, Starobilsk, Alchelsk, Bryanka, Khadivka are now under the control of the UAVs of the 3rd Army Corps.This is huge.It tells us that though Russia has plenty of troops on the ground, it doesn't have the air defenses that it needs to stop Ukraine's drones from doing damage, both in Luhansk and the Russian territory that lies beyond the region.

That isn't control.If the skies are open, the flying terminators come.Russia's soldiers are terrified.They know that whatever protection they thought they had is an illusion, as the 3rd Army Corps strikes again and again.The details of the operation demonstrate how Ukraine is hurting Russia in Luhansk.And what we see in that operation is the beginning of a much bigger problem for Putin.

Right now it's Ukraine that controls the Luhansk skies, but behind this issue is the much larger one of Ukraine setting up for ground -based counterattacks that could see Russia losing territory along with the air in the key Donbass region.The signs are all there that something big could happen.and we'll explain what they mean in a few minutes.But first, there's the operation itself.The Kiev Post has the details in a May 31st report where it reveals that the 3rd Army Corps carried out a high -tempo operation that saw it easily bypass most defensive measures that Russia has in place in Luhansk.Traditional air defenses weren't a problem.

What few remain may have fired, but they couldn't do much to stop Ukraine's drones.The regional electronic warfare or EW umbrella that Russia has created in Luhansk also couldn't do much of anything to stop Ukraine's drones as they were bypassed with ease.That tells us two things.Russia's electronic warfare doesn't spread as far as Putin needs it to spread and Ukraine knows where Russia's EW equipment is located in the region.With the Russian defenses overcome, Ukraine's drones started a campaign of precision strikes that left Russian military assets in flames.Armored vehicles were neutralized inside Luhansk.

meaning they could no longer be used to support Russian assaults deeper into the Donbass region.Forward ammunition depots also fell to Ukrainian drones, leaving Russian forces without the shells and rounds they need for their assaults.Those forces on the front will face Ukraine's defenses while being completely unprepared, all due to flying terminators that they can't see.Inside Luhansk, Putin's patsies are so scared to fight against a lethal and terrifying threat that he's bearing down on them all over the region.Ukraine's control over the Luhansk skies is so absolute that the 3rd Army Corps was even able to leverage it to conduct strikes against Russian territory.The Corps drones used Luhansk as the conduit for a strike that penetrated deep into Russia, hitting the Izverina border checkpoint.

A checkpoint isn't just a gateway between Ukraine and Russia.It's a key logistical artery that enables Russia to funnel ammunition, troops, and armor from Russia into the Donbass front lines by way of Luhansk.That might be the real story of Russia losing control of the Luhansk skies.With that loss of control comes the loss of logistics.and with no logistics, occupiers on the ground, both in Luhansk and the wider Donbass region, are more vulnerable than ever before.

Spearheading the entire operation is a soldier who has a deeper connection to Luhansk than any of the Russian forces that occupy the region.That soldier is Oleksandr Ivantsov, who goes by the callsign Skid, which translates to East, and he is a platoon commander and native of Luhansk.Also the name of his unit, Skid, is among the elites of the 3rd Army Corps, the Kiev Post explains.Ivansov has fought since the moment Russia invaded.One of his most daring feats was a helicopter air garrison operation that saw him deploy via chopper to the Azov -style steel plant in Mariupol to reinforce defenses.He fought hard, escaped when needed, and trawled through untold kilometers of occupied territory to return to the Ukrainian lines.

Now Skid is officially a hero of Ukraine, having received the title following his exploits in Mariupol.After what they just pulled off in Luhansk, we think Ukraine might need to create a new superhero title to go along with the one that Skid already has.As impressive as what the 3rd Army Corps just pulled off in Luhansk is, and there's no denying that this was an important operation, the truly eerie aspect of all this comes from the footage that the Corps' drones shot as they travelled through Luhansk.That footage was shared in the Corps' Telegram post and it reveals that Luhansk City has become a ghost town, at least in the context of Russian defences.Much of the city still stands.The Ukrainian drone passes some of Luhansk's major landmarks, including the city's main avenue, a major downtown hotel, and even a circus.

The Russian clowns who should be firing against the Ukrainian drone are nowhere to be seen.

In fact, air defence fire of any kind is completely absent.Ukraine's drone passes the main bridge that runs over the Luhanka River, getting a nice view of the Ferris wheel at May 1st Park in the process.Nothing from Russia, it flies over Radianskaya Street, which is home of the city's regional airport.building.Russia surely wants to protect that building.But still, no air defense fire comes.

Over and over, the landmarks are seen.The Luhansk Hotel, the city's coal mine.None of these places is home to the Russian soldiers or air defenses that are supposed to stop Ukraine's strikes.It's all too easy for Ukraine's drones.Almost as though the Russians have shut up shop and gone into hiding.Finally, the target of Ukraine's drone comes into view.

a Russian military vehicle with occupants who are seemingly oblivious to Ukraine's drone before it's too late.The drone bears down, the vehicle gets hit, and all across Luhansk and then inside Russia itself, the scene plays out again and again.This sort of operation simply shouldn't be possible.Russian air defenses in Luhansk should have stopped Ukraine's drones.They didn't.EW should have sent those drones off course.

EW failed.What all of this tells us is that Russia occupies Luhansk, but it has no control over the region's skies, and that's a problem for Putin.He's relying on Russia's grinding ground campaign to make progress in Ukraine, and that ground campaign, in turn, relies on logistics in the occupied territories running smoothly.When those logistics falter, as we're now seeing in Luhansk, the Russian push collapses and Putin's forces on the ground are weakened.Control?What control?

Luhansk is more vulnerable now than it has been at almost any point during the war, and the signs are all there that something big is being prepared.Right now, Ukraine is taking advantage of Russia's loss of control of the Luhansk skies to strike logistics, but we've seen this before.This is Ukraine's middle strike campaign in action, and what starts in the air so often ends with counterattacks on the ground.And this is exactly the kind of thing that we cover here at the Military Show.There's a lot more where this comes from, so make sure you're subscribed to the channel if you want to hear the Ukraine war news that the mainstream media isn't telling you.So, the Luhansk skies belong to Ukraine.

Some might argue that the 3rd ArmyCorps' claims are symbolic, more than clear proof that Ukraine has taken control over the aerial theatre in Luhansk.There's certainly a lot to say for the symbolic side of things.Putin's propaganda is designed to make it seem as though Russia controls Luhansk so completely that Ukraine can't even touch the region.The Third Army Corps and its drones have always disputed that, and they proved it with their late May attack.But there's more to it than that.

The footage from the Corps' drone strikes show us that Russia's defences are nowhere near as strong as they need to be.This isn't symbolism.It's setting the stage for the expansion of a mid -range campaign that has already paid massive dividends for Ukraine in 2026.Let's talk about that campaign for a moment.Prior to 2026, Ukraine was somewhat limited in terms of how hard it could hit the Russian rear in the occupied territories.It has rocket and missile systems, such as air -launched hammer missiles and attackams, that could hit Russian positions.

But when it came to drones, most of what Ukraine had in its arsenal were FPV drones dedicated to the front lines and long range drones used to strike Russia itself.But 2026 has brought with it a brand new phase of the Ukraine war.For the first time since Putin invaded, Ukraine has developed a steady supply of medium range drones that can hit within 200 kilometers of the front without costing enormous amounts of money to do so.That's a game changer for Ukraine.And what's happening as a result has caught Putin completely off guard.Ukraine's new arsenal of drones includes weapons like the Hornet, which can travel 200km and deliver a 5kg payload, but costs just $5 ,000.

That's cost -effectiveness paired with enough firepower to hurt Russian logistical assets.And that's Putin's new problem.The scale of Ukraine's medium -range strikes has rocketed up with the emergence of drones like these.In April, the number of Ukrainian medium -range strikes against Russia doubled when compared to March, and quadrupled when compared to February.That's not a coincidence.It's a campaign.

And it's a campaign that serves a clear purpose.Ukraine's strategy is to choke off Russian logistics in the occupied rear.Supporting that campaign is a new program unveiled by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense.Dubbed Logistics Lockdown, the program will dedicate over $110 million to supporting Ukrainian units that are striking the precise types of targets that the Third Army Corps hit in Luhansk.It's basically an incentive scheme.Take out more vehicles and air defenses and you'll get what you need to really hurt Russia in the places where Putin thought his soldiers were safe.

The psychological terror that this campaign inflicts on Russia's soldiers can't be underestimated.For months, Putin's forces in places like Luhansk thought they were mostly safe, with only the occasional missile strike breaking through the veil of that illusion.Now, any thought of being safe is gone.Ukraine proving that it can fly drones with impunity over Luhansk shows Russia's soldiers that nothing protects them anymore.They're not safe.But the real problem is this.

Ukraine's medium -range campaign is supporting a ground offensive that is taking territory back from Russia in record amounts.In a May 25th report, the Institute for the Study of War, or ISW, says that Ukraine's new strategy has changed the positional character of the war for the first time since 2023.We're seeing the impact.Russian advances are stalling to the point where its gains are basically in the net -zero range each month.Ukraine, on the other hand, is creating the conditions needed for limited mechanized maneuvers and counterattacks at the tactical level, which are built on the back of the medium -range strikes that it's carrying out.Ukraine's success in blunting Russian advances and reversing Russian gains in some sectors of the line, in tandem with Ukraine's limited reintroduction of elements of tactical mechanized maneuver, may nevertheless mark the beginning of a new phase of the war, the ISW declares.

That new phase is what Putin has to worry about in Luhansk.After all, we've seen Ukraine pull off plenty of counter -attacks that are supported by its middle -strike campaign.According to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine has liberated 590 square kilometers of its territory from Russia since the beginning of 2026.A big part of that liberation is taking place in the southern and southeastern regions of Ukraine.However, we have seen Ukraine start to make progress in the Donbass.On May 19th, the news broke that Ukrainian forces had completed a three kilometer push into Pokrovsk, which is another region that Russia claims to control.

There are parallels to what we've just seen in Luhansk all over.First, Ukraine strikes the near rear, as it has proven itself able to do in Luhansk.What seems to be a complete lack of adequate air defenses in Luhansk has helped with that.Now that Ukraine can hit that region with its drones, it creates opportunities.Pockets of weakness form in Russia's Luhansk defenses due to logistical arteries being severed.What starts as control over the skies could soon evolve into targeted counterattacks against weakened Russian defenses, manifesting in Ukraine -liberating territory inside Luhansk.

It's a pattern we've seen many times already in 2026, and it's one that might repeat in Luhansk, which will cause major issues for Putin on the Donbass front that we'll cover in a moment.Returning to the symbolic aspects of what Ukraine has achieved in Luhansk, it's not just the Russian troops on the ground that are starting to feel like they've been dumped into the middle of a Terminator movie.Russia's military bloggers are just as terrified of what Ukraine is doing, and they've been reporting on the situation in Luhansk.The ISW reports on military bloggers confirming that Ukraine is carrying out medium -range strikes in Luhansk, with the penetration of the region's air defenses also meaning that Ukraine's drones have clear paths to Russian regions, such as Rostov.Strikes in Donetsk and Luhansk are also creating shortages in fuel and ammunition supplies, which feed into the weakening on the front that needs to happen for Ukraine to carry out its targeted counterattacks on the ground.Even if those attacks don't target Luhansk directly, Ukraine's control of the Luhansk skies causes problems in Donetsk, where soldiers rely on equipment funneled through Luhansk to support them on the front.

Russia's control over Luhansk is not what it claims to be, and we're already starting to seeRussian military bloggers reveal that fact, which means that the propaganda that Putin relies upon so heavily is also starting to crumble.That brings us to another issue that Ukraine's strikes in Luhansk create.Putin is rapidly losing leverage in peace negotiations.Russia's grand claims about controlling Luhansk, as well as its claims to control cities like Pokrovsk, aren't just being made to convince Russian people the supposed special military operation is on track.Russia makes these kinds of claims because it wants to create the impression that Russia is rampaging through Ukraine and that Ukraine's military can't do anything to stop the loss of the Donbass region.

What does Ukraine controlling the Luhansk skies do for Putin's narrative?Nothing good, that's for sure.As the Russian advance slows and Ukraine proves that Putin's claims about it being a spent force are false, the prospect of Russia getting the sort of peace deal that results in Ukraine ceding the Donbass is disappearing.Ukraine knows it.That's why, as the New Voice of Ukraine reported on May 29th, Ukraine is pushing for leader -level talks with Russia in the wake of the US -led peace negotiations slowing down.That US -led format of talks has reached the limits of its effectiveness, says Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sebeya.

Now, the time is ripe for Ukraine to make what Sebeya calls viable proposals directly to Russia.These proposals would seemingly start with the ending of hostilities across the line of contact, followed by broader negotiations on peace.Russia may be forced to accept this new form of negotiation.The Ukraine war has reached a turning point, and nothing is going in Russia's favor.Ukraine is intensifying its drone warfare, and it started hitting the sorts of targets that it could never hit before.Frontline advances are being made, and the middle -range strategy that Ukraine is following seems to be setting the stage for advances that could run as deep as Luhansk.

None of this is going according to Putin's plan.Russia's leader has set a deadline of September for the complete collapse of the Donbass, Ukraine's military intelligence reported back in April.that seemed like an ambitious target at the time.Now, as Ukraine's drones fly over Luhansk and Russia puts up no resistance, it looks positively ludicrous.The issue over who controls the Donbass is the main sticking point in current peace negotiations.Before the Third Army Corps operation, Russia could claim to have complete control over Luhansk and had important people believe it.

But that control isn't what Putin needs it to be anymore.The skies above Luhansk belong to Ukraine.Ukraine's strikes into the occupied territories and beyond are growing stronger and more intense.If Putin is to have any hope of coming out of the war with even the smallest shred of dignity left, he has to choose now to start negotiations.If he doesn't, Ukraine is in the perfect position to make its control of the aerial battle in Luhansk count on the ground in the Donbass.Breakthroughs are being made in places that are supposed to have fallen, and Pokrovsk is the perfect example.

We mentioned it earlier, Ukraine has completed a three kilometer push into the city that Russia says it controls.Why does that matter?And what does that mean for Russia's campaign in the Donbass?You can find out the answers to those questions and more by watching our video, which covers how Ukraine completed its brutal push through the Pokrovsk lines.And if you enjoyed this video, make sure you hit subscribe to see more of our analysis of what's really happening in the Ukraine war.And thank you for watching.