The governor of Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, under Russian occupation, announced on Tuesday that the entire region had been completely conquered, marking the first time Russia has full control over one of the four eastern Ukrainian regions it has annexed. Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-appointed governor, stated that Luhansk had been “100 percent liberated.” However, not everyone agreed with his assessment. Russian military journalists pointed out that two villages remained uncontrolled and that Luhansk had previously been declared conquered in 2022, only to be partially reclaimed by Ukrainian forces in September.
Despite these discrepancies, Russian forces have gradually been retaking the territory over the past 33 months, which constitutes a significant milestone in the ongoing conflict. This advancement has dealt a further blow to Ukraine, as the United States simultaneously announced that it would not be providing Kyiv with certain previously promised weapons, citing American interests.
Russian forces have made progress on the eastern front, reaching the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region and taking control of several villages in Donetsk, demonstrating a relentless advancement. Russian officials and pro-Moscow analysts have stated the need to establish a buffer zone, which could be as deep as 70 to 120 kilometers within Ukraine for security reasons. However, experts believe these buffer zones serve as a pretext for Russia to continue seizing Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine has also been taking action against Russia, using long-range weapons to target Russian military assets and acknowledging a need to enhance its military capabilities to counter the increasingly aggressive unmanned air strikes from Russia. Despite this, Russia has claimed that its attacks are focused on marking Ukrainian territory for a potential ground war, and there are concerns that the situation could lead to escalated conflict.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/3/russia-says-it-controls-luhansk-as-us-halts-some-weapons-pledged-to-ukraine?traffic_source=rss
