Moscow claims capture of Ukraine's Luhansk region

Moscow [Russia], April 2: Russia said on Wednesday that its military had captured Ukraine's Luhansk region, according to the Defence Ministry as cited by state news agency TASS.
Ukraine initially did not comment. However, maps from Ukrainian military observers continued to show a small area around the village of Novoyehorivka still under Ukrainian control.
Moscow-installed authorities had previously claimed full control of the eastern Ukrainian region in June 2025.
Parts of Luhansk have been under the control of Moscow-backed separatists since 2014.
Three days before the start of Russia's large-scale invasion, Moscow recognized the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as independent states despite strong international condemnation. The Russians then managed to occupy most of the Luhansk region within a few months. During their counteroffensive in autumn 2022, the Ukrainians recaptured some areas in northern Luhansk.
The latest claims from Moscow come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans for a video call with US representatives.
Zelensky said Russia wanted Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbass area in eastern Ukraine, which is primarily focused on the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk in the country's traditional coal-mining region, within two months.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was not about two months but that Zelensky had to decide today to withdrawn the Ukrainian military from the Donbass region.
Source: Qatar Tribune