On June 24, I went with journalist Roman Kosarev to Popasnaya, an LPR frontline city liberated a month prior but still being pounded by Ukrainian shelling, including when we were there.

We also went to Stakhanov, to the east, where many refugees from Popasnaya & other regions shelled by Ukraine have taken shelter.

Ukraine is bombing that city, too, so these fleeing civilians find no peace and continue living a nightmare of endless bombing.

After 8 years of Ukraine's war on the people of the Lugansk & Donetsk republics, the recent liberation of the LPR is a victory which corporate owned media will downplay or ignore, but for the people it means a massive step towards a return to peace and stability.

But even with this positive development, the tragic reality is that Ukraine continues to bomb civilian areas, with no military target, the only purpose being to kill and maim more people in the Donbass republics.