Complete Russian Control Claimed Over Ukraines Luhansk Region, Says Kremlin-Backed Leader

The head of the Luhansk region, appointed by Moscow, asserted on Tuesday that Russian troops now have complete dominance over the area.

«Just two days ago, a report was issued declaring that the Luhansk People’s Republic has been entirely liberated — 100%,» Leonid Pasechnik stated during an interview with Russia’s state-run Channel One.

If this assertion is verified, Luhansk would become the second Ukrainian region to be fully under Russian control since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that Moscow controlled 99% of Luhansk, which, along with the Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, the Kremlin claims to have annexed in September 2022.

Russia previously announced its complete control over Luhansk in July 2022, when then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Putin that Russian forces had captured the city of Lysychansk and the nearby towns.

However, Ukraine managed to reclaim Lysychansk and portions of the Luhansk region during its swift counteroffensive in the fall of 2022, which also allowed Kyiv to regain significant territories in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.