Russia claims control over Luhansk as US halts weapons promised to Ukraine

KYIV: The Russian occupation governor of Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region claimed it had been entirely conquered, making it the first of the four eastern Ukrainian regions Russia has annexed that it fully controls, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday.

“Just a couple of days ago, I received a report that the territory of the Luhansk People’s Republic has been 100 per cent liberated”, Leonid Pasechnik said, although not everyone agreed.

“The territory of the Luhansk People’s Republic has been 100% liberated by Russian army” Z pic.twitter.com/u8DkV3fXFI

— Aleksey Berezutski (@aleksbrz11) July 1, 2025

Russian military reporters said two villages remained free, and pointed out that Luhansk had been declared conquered once before, in 2022, before being partially reclaimed in a Ukrainian counteroffensive in September of that year.

Russian forces have inched towards reconquering the entire territory in the intervening 33 months, and that constitutes a second milestone within the past month on Ukraine’s eastern front.

Russia’s advance dealt another blow to Ukraine, more than three years after the full-scale invasion began. On the same day as Pasechnik’s announcement, the United States said it would not be sending Kyiv some weapons that had been promised by the administration of Joe Biden, the former US president, as per Al Jazeera.

“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” said the White House.

Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday thanked the frontline defenders for their work.

Thousands of warriors defend our skies, including anti-aircraft missile troops. Day and night, they shield us from everything launched to destroy life in Ukraine — from Russian missiles, drones, and aircraft.

On Ukraine’s Anti-Aircraft Missile Troops Day, we thank each and every… pic.twitter.com/nwt3T2rTzI

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 3, 2025

In a post on X, he said, “Thousands of warriors defend our skies, including anti-aircraft missile troops. Day and night, they shield us from everything launched to destroy life in Ukraine — from Russian missiles, drones, and aircraft. On Ukraine’s Anti-Aircraft Missile Troops Day, we thank each and every one of you — those on the frontlines protecting our defenders and those who enable a return to normalcy in the rear cities. You save countless lives no matter where you are. Thank you for your precision and dedication”. (ANI)