During the meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the President said that all soldiers who distinguished themselves in this operation will be rewarded. The soldiers who “liberated Lysychansk should rest and increase their fighting skills,” the head of state emphasized. The “West” and “East” groups should continue their actions as planned.
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At a meeting on Monday, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu announced to Putin that Russian forces had taken control of the Luhansk region, which together with the neighboring Donetsk region forms Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region. Shoigu told Putin that the operation began on June 19 and ended on Sunday, July 3, when Russian troops occupied the city of Lysychansk.
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According to Shoigu, the total losses of the armed forces of Ukraine reached 5,469 people, of which 2,218 were killed. The Ukrainian side was said to have lost 196 tanks and armored vehicles, 166 guns and mortars, 97 multiple rocket launchers, 216 vehicles and six long-range anti-aircraft missile systems. The losses of Ukrainian aviation amounted to 12 aircraft, a helicopter and 65 drones. It is not possible to verify this information from an independent source.
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The Russian side does not report its own losses.
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The British Ministry of Defense, citing military intelligence, said that Russia is now almost certainly focused on capturing the Donetsk region, much of which remains under the control of Ukrainian forces.
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