 "Russia claims full control over Ukraine's Luhansk, annexed in 2022")
Russia has announced that its troops have captured all of Ukraine’s Luhansk, one of the four regions that were illegally annexed by Moscow in 2022 despite not fully controlling a single one.
Leonid Pasechnik, an official appointed by Russia in Luhansk, officially made the announcement on Monday. If confirmed, Luhansk could become the first Ukrainian region fully occupied by Russia after more than three years of war.
At the same time, the Russian military has also seized a village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, for the first time in three years since the start of the war, according to state media and pro-war bloggers. However, there is no official confirmation from either Moscow or Kyiv on this development.
Meanwhile, as Russia continues to annexe parts of Ukraine, there is no word on a ceasefire between the two countries, with President Vladimir Putin effectively rejecting a truce deal.
A few days ago, Moscow blamed the US for “stalling” peace talks as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that negotiations depend on Ukraine’s position and the effectiveness of Washington’s mediation.
Germany’s FM visits Kyiv
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited Kyiv yesterday, where he said that Germany aims to help Ukraine manufacture more weapons more quickly to Ukraine.
“We see our task as helping Ukraine so that it can negotiate more strongly. When Putin speaks of peace today, it is pure mockery. His apparent readiness to negotiate is only a facade so far,” Wadephul said.
Ukraine is outgunned and shorthanded on the front line and international aid has been vital for Ukraine’s resistance against its neighbor’s bigger army and economy. Germany has been Ukraine’s second-largest military backer after the United States, whose continuing support is in doubt.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“We want to build new joint ventures so that Ukraine itself can produce faster and more for its own defense, because your needs are enormous,” Wadephul said.
“Our arms cooperation is a real trump card — it is a logical continuation of our delivery of material,” Wadephul said. “And we can even benefit mutually from it — with your wealth of ideas and your experience, we will become better,” he added.
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