Shoygu reports full capture of Luhansk region to Putin, Ukraine denies his claims
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Russian troops had completely captured the territory of the Luhansk region. Shoigu claims that the Russian military, together with the military of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, established full control over the city of Lysychansk and neighboring settlements - Bilohorivka, Novodruzhesk, Maloryazantseve and Bila Hora.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled the Russian offensive near Lysychansk.
"In the Donetsk direction, the main efforts of the occupiers are aimed at securing positions near the city of Lysychansk and Verkhnokamyanka. They conducted offensive operations near Bilohorivka, had no success and were forced to withdraw, " the General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement.
At the same time, the head of the Luhansk military-civil administration, Serhiy Haidai, said that Russian forces are currently entrenched in their positions.
"Probably, all forces have been thrown at Lysiyhansk," Haidai said on Telegram. "The city is attacked with unnecessarily brutal tactics. If in Severodonetsk after a month of street fighting there were some houses and administrative buildings left, then in Lysychansk within a short period of time the administrative buildings were bombed to the ground. They use are a lot of military and weapons. At the same time, several warehouses with enemy ammunition were destroyed. They suffer significant losses but are stubbornly advancing. They are gaining a foothold in the city, as well as in Verkhnokamyanka and continue to destroy settlements."
Haidai added that the attack of the Russian army on Bilohorivka was repulsed by the Ukrainian Forces.
Earlier, Shoygu is known for exaggerating the achievements of the Russian Armed Forces before Putin. On April 21, he reported to Putin about the "liberation of Mariupol." However, the Ukrainian military withdrew from Azovstal steel plant only a month later, on May 17.