The Moscow-appointed head of Ukraines occupied Luhansk area declared Tuesday that Russian forces now have full control of the territory.Just two days earlier, a report was launched stating that the area of the Luhansk Peoples Republic has been totally freed 100%, Leonid Pasechniksaid onRussias state-run Channel One.If confirmed, Luhansk would be the second Ukrainian region to fall completely under Russian control since Moscow seized the Crimean peninsula in 2014.
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin saidMoscow held 99% of the Luhansk region, which, together with the Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the Kremlin claims to have actually annexed in September 2022.
Russia previously declared full control over Luhansk in July 2022, when then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Putin that Russian forces had taken the city of Lysychansk and surrounding towns.But Ukraine regained Lysychansk and parts of the Luhansk area during its quick counteroffensive in the fall of 2022, which also saw Kyiv gain back large areas of land in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unmatched difficulties.
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