Russian Defence Ministry claims its forces have captured whole of Luhansk Oblast

Russia's Ministry of Defence has claimed that Russian forces have seized Luhansk Oblast as part of operations by the Zapad (West) group of forces.

Source: Interfax, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency; Meduza, a Latvia-based Russian media outlet; Russian newspaper Kommersant

Details: Russian reports claim that units from the Zapad group of forces have completed the so-called "liberation of Luhansk People's Republic" [a self-proclaimed Russia-backed quasi-state formation in Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast – ed.].

However, green zones on DeepStateMap, an interactive map of the hostilities in Ukraine, indicate that part of Luhansk Oblast remains under the control of Ukraine's defence forces.

In October 2025, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin claimed that Russian forces still needed to take control of about 0.13% of the territory of the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic" and about 19% of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic". In March 2025, he asserted that 15-17% of the territory of Donetsk Oblast remained under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In June 2025, Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-installed head of the occupied part of Luhansk Oblast, claimed that "literally two days earlier, we received confirmation that the territory of the Luhansk People's Republic had been fully liberated, 100%".

Update: Analysts and sources from New Europe have refuted the Russian Defence Ministry's claim about the capture of Luhansk Oblast by Russian forces. The outlet recalls that Russia's Defence Ministry has already, for the third time since the start of the full-scale invasion, reported the complete seizure of Luhansk Oblast and predicts that such statements are likely to be repeated again.

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