High cost of Russian gains in Ukraine may limit new advance

Observers estimated in recent weeks that Russia controlled about half of Donetsk, and battle lines have changed little since then

Firefighters dig through the rubble of the school building destroyed during a missile strike in Kharkiv (AP)

After more than four months of fighting, Russia has claimed a key victory in Ukraine: full control over one of the two provinces in its eastern industrial heartland.

But Moscow’s seizure of the last major stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in Luhansk province came at a steep price. The critical question now is whether Russia can muster enough strength for a new offensive to complete its capture of the Donbas and make gains elsewhere in Ukraine.