Russia’s Defense Ministry has for the third time since the start of the war claimed the complete capture of the "LNR." The report was published by "RIA Novosti," citing the ministry’s press service.
"Units of the ‘West’ group of forces have completed the liberation of the Luhansk People’s Republic," the briefing said.
A Novaya-Europe source in the command of the 11th Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine denied this report. According to the source, the 11th Corps continues to hold its positions in Luhansk region.
This account was also confirmed in a conversation with Novaya-Europe by Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military-political observer with the Information Resistance group. He said Ukrainian troops continue to repel Russian attacks. According to the observer, Ukraine’s defense forces still control two areas in Luhansk region. One is near the village of Novoyehorivka in Svatove district, and the other is near the village of Hrekivka in the same district.
As Kovalenko emphasized, the Armed Forces of Ukraine control about 80 square kilometers of the region in total.
"It was simply impossible to carry out such an operation, make a breakthrough on that scale, and remain unnoticed by Z-war correspondents, who would already be beside themselves with joy over it against the backdrop of other failures."
Kovalenko also noted that OSINT analysts’ data do not confirm the Defense Ministry’s statement. In his view, this is another case of "capturing territory on credit" — Russia is increasingly declaring the seizure of territories it does not in fact control.
The Defense Ministry has already twice claimed it had fully captured Luhansk region. The first time was on July 3, 2022, and the second was on May 30, 2025.