City was last Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk region Russia says has “liberated” Luhansk region Zelenskiy vows to regain control with long-range weapons Blasts hit Russia’s Belgorod, southern Ukraine base -officials KYIV, July 4 (Reuters) – Russian forces in Ukraine will focus on trying to seize all of the Donetsk region, having forced Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the last major city under their control in the neighbouring Luhansk region, the governor of Luhansk said on Monday. After abandoning an assault on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, during the early weeks of the war, Russia concentrated its military operation on the industrial Donbas heartland that comprises the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, where Moscow-backed separatist proxies have been fighting Ukraine since 2014. Russia said it had established full control over the Luhansk region after Ukrainian forces pulled out of the bombed-out city of Lysychansk. read more “In terms of the military, it […]