Russia says it has fully captured Ukraine’s Luhansk region

Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said Russian forces had taken full control of Ukraine’s Luhansk region.

He said that in March–April, Russian troops captured 34 settlements and about 700 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory.

Gerasimov added that the heaviest fighting is ongoing in the Krasnyi Lyman direction, where assault units continue operations to take the city, with around 70% currently under Russian control.