Russia has seized full control of Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, according to statements made by a Russian-installed official on state television, marking a significant shift in territorial control more than three years into the ongoing war.
The claim was made by Leonid Pasechnik, a Moscow-backed figure who has been presented by Russian authorities as the head of the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic.” Pasechnik stated that the region is now “100% liberated” — a term used by the Kremlin and its allies to describe territories under Russian military and administrative control.
FILE PHOTO: Rescuers carry an injured woman at the site of a building damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 24, 2025. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk region/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo
There has been no official confirmation from the Russian Ministry of Defense, and no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv maintains that all Russian claims to Ukrainian territory are illegal and groundless, and has consistently vowed never to recognize Moscow’s sovereignty over any of the occupied regions.
Luhansk: A Symbolic and Strategic Victory
The Luhansk region, spanning over 26,700 square kilometers (10,308 square miles), is the first Ukrainian region to come entirely under Russia’s declared control since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The move marks a major development in the conflict that began in February 2022, when President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Firefighters work to put out a fire at the market hit by recent shelling, which local Russian-installed authorities called a Ukrainian military strike, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
In September 2022, Putin declared Luhansk — along with Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — to be part of the Russian Federation. The declaration was widely condemned by Western nations, and remains unrecognized by the vast majority of the international community.
Russia insists that these regions are now part of its territory, falling under its nuclear umbrella, and has stated that they will never be returned to Ukraine.
A Region With a Turbulent Past
Historically, Luhansk has been contested ground. Once part of the Russian Empire, it was taken by the Red Army in 1920 and later incorporated into the Soviet Union as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha pay tribute to victims, who were killed during Russian drone and missile strikes on June 17, at the site of a damaged apartment building, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 30, 2025. Eduard Kryzhanivskyi/Press Service of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT.
The region, along with neighboring Donetsk, became a flashpoint in 2014 following Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution, which led to the ousting of a pro-Russian president. The subsequent annexation of Crimea by Russia triggered armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, with Russian-backed separatist forces battling Ukrainian troops in both Luhansk and Donetsk.
That earlier conflict set the stage for the full-scale invasion launched by Moscow in 2022.
Broader Control Across Ukraine
As reported in Reuters, Russia now holds nearly 19% of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory, including the entirety of Luhansk and significant portions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. It also controls parts of the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, although not in full.
The declaration of complete control over Luhansk signals Moscow’s continuing advance and ambition in Ukraine, despite international sanctions, military resistance, and diplomatic isolation.
