Kyiv [Ukraine], July 3: Russia’s occupation governor of Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region has claimed that Russian forces have fully conquered the area, marking it as the first of the four eastern Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow to be entirely under its control, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday.
Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-appointed governor, declared, “Just a couple of days ago, I received a report that the territory of the Luhansk People’s Republic has been 100 percent liberated.” However, this claim was disputed by Russian military correspondents, who reported that two villages in the region remain outside Moscow’s grasp. They also noted that Russia had previously declared Luhansk conquered in 2022 before Ukraine partially retook areas in a counteroffensive later that year.
Russian forces have spent nearly three years since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 trying to regain and hold territory in eastern Ukraine. The recent advance represents a significant milestone for Moscow on the eastern front.
The development came on the same day the United States announced it would not deliver some promised weapons to Kyiv, as confirmed by the White House. “This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” the White House said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Ukraine’s air defence forces on Anti-Aircraft Missile Troops Day, expressing gratitude to frontline defenders for protecting Ukraine from ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks.