“Russian forces are fighting fierce battles and advancing towards the Donetsk region after taking control of the last two cities of Lugansk,” said the governor of the Luhansk region of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

In his statements, Gaidai stated that “Russian troops suffered heavy losses during the long operation to capture the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysechansk,” noting that “they are directing their efforts to the south.”

He explained that “fierce fighting continues on the sides of Luhansk”, showing that “Russian troops have redirected all their forces and reserve forces there, having suffered heavy losses.”

For their part, the Russian authorities said that they “redirected their forces towards the Donbass, the industrial center of Ukraine, consisting of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.”

Last Sunday, Russia declared its full control of Luhansk, knowing that pro-Russian forces have controlled large swaths of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions since Moscow first infiltrated Ukraine in 2014 and recognized the two “people’s republics” as independent states before before starting hostilities. operation against Ukraine on February 24 last year.