Russian army declares complete control of Lugansk

According to RIA Novosti, Lugansk head Leonid Pasechnik said on Channel One on June 30 that the Russian army had taken control of the entire territory of Lugansk LPR.

“There was a report two days ago that the territory of Lugansk was completely liberated – 100%,” Mr. Pasechnik said.

According to the head of Lugansk, since the end of last year, the Russian army has increased the pace of its offensive in Donbass. In January 2025, fighters liberated Novohorivka in Lugansk, and at the end of February - Novolyubovka.

Shortly before that, in December 2024, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov announced that the Ukrainian Armed Forces controlled less than 100% of the region's territory. By March 2025, President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian military had liberated 99% of the Lugansk region. Putin also added that more than 70% of the territory of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions had been liberated.

President Putin on June 30 announced the need to vigorously restart the economy of the Donbass and Novorossiya regions, united with Russia, so that people can return to their homeland.

"At the new stage, we need to realize this huge potential, ensure the restart and vigorous development of the economies of our historical regions, strengthen their financial base, increase self-sufficiency. There are all the resources and opportunities for this. The main thing is that all the people see changes for the better, return home. They worked, studied, raised children and planned for the future in their homeland," the Russian leader said at a meeting on the socio-economic development of these regions.