According to a report by Russia Today (RT) on July 3, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Sunday that the last batch of Ukrainian troops had been driven out of the "Luhansk People's Republic" (LPR) . A press release issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that he had reported to President Vladimir Putin the situation of the "liberation" of the entire territory of Luhansk.
Source: RT report screenshot
Shoigu said that the Russian army and the Luhansk armed forces have completely controlled the city of Lischichansk. RT reports that the city is the last major Luhansk region under the control of Kiev since the 2014 Ukrainian crisis led to Luhansk declaring "independence" and establishing the "Luhansk People's Republic". City.
According to Tass news agency , the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian Armed Forces and the Luhansk Armed Forces have completely controlled Lisichansk and surrounding settlements, the largest of which are Belogorovka, Belogorovka, Novodruzhesk, Maloryazantsevo and Belaya Gora. The Russian Ministry of Defense emphasized: "The total area of territory liberated in the past 24 hours reached 182 square kilometers."
Yuri Sak, adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Minister, said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on the 3rd that despite the Russian Defense Minister's statement made a statement, but Lischichansk is not under the "complete control" of the Russian army.
Reuters reported that Ukrainian President Zelensky admitted on the evening of the 3rd that the armed forces commanded by Kiev had withdrawn from Lisichansk in the eastern region of Donbass after Russia's fierce offensive, but vowed to to regain control of the area with the help of long-range weapons shipped by Western countries.
Zelensky said in a video speech released that night: "If the commanders of our troops withdraw personnel from certain points on the front line where the enemy has the greatest firepower advantage, and this also happens in Lischichansk, it only means that There is one thing. That is that we will go back and rely on our tactics and the increase in the supply of (Western) modern weapons."
Zelensky also said that Russia will focus its firepower on Donba. However, Ukraine will use long-range weapons to fight back, such as HIMARS rocket launchers provided by the United States. "The fact that we protect the lives of our soldiers and our people plays an equally important role. We will rebuild the walls, we will take back the land and protect the people above all else."
Reuters pointed out that since giving up the attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev Since the offensive, Russia has focused its military operations on the industrial heartland of the Donbas region, including Luhansk and Donetsk.
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