Russia’s Defense Ministry declared on April 1, 2026 that its forces have achieved complete control over Ukraine’s Luhansk region. It is the third time Moscow has made this specific claim since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The announcement arrived alongside reports of a logistics hub seizure in the Donetsk region and a fresh attack on Kyiv.
Ukrainian officials have not confirmed the Luhansk claim. Independent verification remains contested.
What Russia actually controls, and what it says it controls
Russia formally annexed Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia in September 2022, despite not fully controlling any of them at the time.
