Russia's armed forces have taken control of the entire Luhansk region of Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed Wednesday, but a Kyiv military official denied the claim as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared for talks with U.S. envoys trying to mediate an end to Moscow's invasion.
"Units of the Group of Forces West have completed the liberation of the Luhansk People's Republic," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
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However, the spokesperson for Ukraine's Joint Forces grouping, Viktor Trehubov, said there were no changes to report in that region.
"Unfortunately, we only hold small patches there (in Luhansk), but those positions have been held by 3rd brigade for a long time," Trehubov told The Associated Press by phone.
Russian claims of battlefield progress have in the past shown discrepancies. The Moscow-appointed head of Luhansk announced its full capture last June.
Ukrainian officials have in the past said that Moscow makes false claims of advances to persuade U.S. negotiators that a Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable.
U.S.-led diplomatic efforts over the past year to stop the fighting, now in its fifth year, have so far failed to break the deadlock on key sticking points, and Washington's attentions are currently focused on the Iran war.
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