Zelenskyy rejects Russian claims of full capture of Luhansk region: This does not correspond to reality
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian claims of allegedly having full control over the Luhansk region do not correspond to reality.
He said this during a conversation with journalists on 23 April, Censor.NET reports.
Zelenskyy’s response
"This does not correspond to reality. They (the Russians — ed.) keep pushing this narrative everywhere — that they are capturing our territory. But even partners who constantly said that Russia was supposedly winning have already stopped pushing this narrative," the head of state said.
According to him, despite the difficult situation along the front line and intense fighting, the overall territorial balance since the beginning of this year has been in Ukraine’s favor.
"That is why Ukraine is not losing this war. Over the past 10 months, we have been in our most stable position, but we still understand that it is very difficult for the guys, and there is no room for relaxation," Zelenskyy said.
He also noted that Russian troops do not have enough forces for large-scale offensives, including from Russian territory toward the Sumy region. The president added that the occupiers have been suffering heavy losses, on average 30,000 to 35,000 soldiers per month since the start of 2026.
Russian fake
- On 21 April, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov claimed that the occupiers had managed to seize the entire territory of the Luhansk region. He also asserted that from March to April 2026, the Russians had captured 34 Ukrainian settlements.
-
The Third Army Corps said that statements by the Russian military leadership about the alleged "full capture" of the Luhansk region are false.
