Russia claims to control 97% of Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast

Weeks after the attack on the Ukrainian region, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Russian army now controls 97 percent of the Luhansk region. After Russia invaded Ukraine more than three months ago but failed to overthrow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or occupy the capital, Kyiv, the Russian army then focused its offensive on controlling the Donbas region.

“Our heroes have not given up their positions in Severo Donetsk,” Zelensky said in a video address Monday night.

“Our troops have strengthened their positions and are holding on,” Severo-Donetsk Mayor Struk told Ukrainian television Tuesday.

The battle for Severo-Donetsk is crucial to Moscow’s attempt to take full control of Luhansk Oblast. A week ago, the Russian army occupied 70% of the city, but the Ukrainian counterattack pushed back the Russian army, and the ownership of the control of the city is still inconclusive.

Russia and Ukraine both claim to have inflicted heavy casualties on the other.

Shoigu said the Russian army was also advancing towards the town of Popasna. He said they had seized control of Liman, Svyatogorsk, and 15 other towns in the area.

He said, Since Russia launched its military operation against Ukraine on February 24, 6,489 Ukrainian servicemen have been captured, of which 126 have been captured in the past five days.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Podoljak urged the Ukrainian people not to be frustrated by the defeat on the battlefield.

He “Don’t be intimidated by the news that we’ve dropped some places. It’s clearly a tactical strategy. We’ve dropped some places, but we’ve also regained some,”

Zelensky told a reporter Monday in a video address. At the meeting, it was said that the Russian army also intends to seize Zaporizhzhia in the southeast in order to advance further into central Ukraine.

Zelensky said: “The enemy wants to … occupy the city of Zaporizhzhia.” Is an industrial hub city with a pre-war population of more than 700,000.

The Ukrainian leader said he received confirmation from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the United Kingdom would provide Ukraine with a “new package of enhanced defense support.” He said the two discussed lifting restrictions on Ukraine and The blockade of ports to avoid a food crisis.

Britain announced Monday that it will supply Ukraine with M270 multiple rocket systems, which can hit targets up to 80 kilometers away.

Johnson said: “In Russia long-range artillery has razed cities to the ground. And while innocent civilians are being killed, we cannot stand idly by.”

Defence Secretary Wallace said support for Ukraine must evolve with Russian tactics and that the new rocket artillery system “will enable our Ukrainian friends to better protect themselves against the brutal use of long-range artillery by Putin’s forces. Differentially razing cities to the ground”.

Putin warned that if the West goes ahead with plans to supply Ukraine with long-range rocket artillery systems, Moscow will “strike targets it has not hit yet”.

U.S. President Joe Biden said last week that the U.S. plans to provide an additional $700 million in weapons assistance to the Kyiv government, including four precision-guided medium-range rocket systems, helicopters, and a Javelin anti-tank weapon system, radar, tactical vehicles, and spare parts, and many more.

Russia’s foreign ministry on Monday announced sanctions on 61 more Americans in response to what it called “expanding U.S. sanctions.”

Those on Russia’s sanctions list include Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and the chief executive of Netflix. Executive Hastings.