Russia claims full control of Ukraine’s Luhansk region but Kyiv denies it ahead of US envoy talks

In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, Russian soldiers prepare to fire a grenade launcher towards Ukrainian positions on an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) 2026-04-01T14:29:30Z Russia’s armed forces have taken control of the entire Luhansk region of Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed Wednesday, but a Kyiv military official denied the claim as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared for talks with U.S. envoys trying to mediate an end to Moscow’s invasion . “Units of the Group of Forces West have completed the liberation of the Luhansk People’s Republic,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

However, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s Joint Forces grouping, Viktor Trehubov, said there were no changes to report in that region. “Unfortunately, we only hold small patches there (in Luhansk), but those positions have been held by 3rd brigade for a long time,” Trehubov told The Associated Press by phone.

Russian claims of battlefield progress have in the past shown discrepancies.

The Moscow-appointed head of Luhansk announced its full capture last June.

Ukrainian officials have in the past said that Moscow makes false claims of advances to persuade U.S. negotiators that a Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable.

U.S.-led diplomatic efforts over the past year to stop the fighting, now in its fifth year, have so far failed to break the deadlock on key sticking points , and Washington’s attentions are currently focused on the Iran war .

Zelenskyy said he would hold a video call later Wednesday with U.S.

President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss the possibility of further trilateral negotiations.

Russia illegally annexed four eastern regions of Ukraine — Luhansk as well as Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — in September 2022, but it never fully controlled them.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last October that Ukrainian forces still held 0.13% of Luhansk.

He has demanded that Ukrainian troops withdraw from the four eastern regions as a key condition for a peace deal.

Ukraine has rejected that demand.

Zelenskyy said Wednesday that front-line combat is fierce amid a Russian spring offensive , but claimed that Ukrainian forces are holding their ground. “The situation on the frontline is currently quite tense — the Russian army is trying to step up its assault activity,” he

原文链接: AP News