Latest news with #Russia-appointed
The Mainichi
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Russia says Moscow now occupies all of Ukraine's Luhansk region, illegally annexed in 2022
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- A Russia-appointed official in Ukraine's occupied Luhansk region said Monday that Moscow's forces have overrun all of it -- one of four regions Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in September 2022 despite not fully controlling a single one. If confirmed, that would make Luhansk the first Ukrainian region fully occupied by Russia after more than three years of war and as recent U.S.-led international peace efforts have failed to make progress on halting the fighting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected a ceasefire and hasn't budged from his demands, which include Moscow's control over the four illegally annexed regions. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv on the claim made by the Moscow-installed leader of the occupied region, Leonid Pasechnik. In remarks to Russia's state TV Channel One that aired Monday evening, Pasechnik said he received a report "literally two days ago" saying that "100%" of the region was now under the control of Russian forces. Germany's top diplomat visits Kyiv The development came just hours after the top German diplomat said that Germany aims to help Ukraine manufacture more weapons more quickly as Kyiv looks to strengthen its negotiating position in peace talks with Russia. "We see our task as helping Ukraine so that it can negotiate more strongly," Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, accompanied by German defense industry representatives. "When Putin speaks of peace today, it is pure mockery," Wadephul told a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. "His apparent readiness to negotiate is only a facade so far." Russia's invasion shows no sign of letting up. Its grinding war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and long-range strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine have killed thousands of troops and civilians. Ukraine is outgunned and shorthanded on the front line and international aid has been vital for Ukraine's resistance against its neighbor's bigger army and economy. Germany has been Ukraine's second-largest military backer after the United States, whose continuing support is in doubt. "We want to build new joint ventures so that Ukraine itself can produce faster and more for its own defense, because your needs are enormous," Wadephul said while standing next to Sybiha. "Our arms cooperation is a real trump card -- it is a logical continuation of our delivery of material," Wadephul said. "And we can even benefit mutually from it -- with your wealth of ideas and your experience, we will become better." Wadephul was also due to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia's aerial attacks on Ukraine continue The top German diplomat's trip to Kyiv came less than 48 hours after Russia launched its biggest combined aerial attack against Ukraine over the weekend, Ukrainian officials said, in an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in peace efforts. Ukraine's air force said Monday it detected 107 Russian Shahed and decoy drones in the country's air space overnight. Strikes in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region left two civilians dead and eight injured, including a 6-year-old child, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Monday. The aerial onslaughts are calculated by Russia to squeeze Ukraine into submission, according to the Institute for the Study of War. "Russia is continuing to use increasingly large numbers of drones in its overnight strike packages in order to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and enable subsequent cruise and ballistic missile strikes," the Washington-based think tank said late Sunday. "The increases in Russia's strike packages in recent weeks are largely due to Russia's efforts to scale up its defense industrial production, particularly of Shahed and decoy drones and ballistic missiles," the institute added. Sybiha thanked Germany for its contribution to Ukraine's air defense and urged Berlin to send more antimissile systems. The Russians "are attacking civilian targets in order to create panic, to influence the mood of our population," he said. "The key is the air defense system." Berlin has balked at granting Zelenskyy's request to provide Ukraine with powerful German- and Swedish-made Taurus long-range missiles, which could potentially hit targets inside Russia. That is due to fears such a move could enrage the Kremlin and draw NATO into Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged in May to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets.
GMA Network
01-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Russian forces advance and take first village in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region —report
Rescuers carry an injured woman at the site of a building damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 24, 2025. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk region/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS/File photo MOSCOW - Russian forces have taken control of the first village in the east-central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, Russian state media and war bloggers said on Monday, after Russia took 950 square kilometers of territory in two months. In Luhansk region in Ukraine's northeast – one of four regions that Russia now claims as its own – the Russia-appointed regional governor said that Moscow's troops were now in full control of the entire region. Farther south in Donetsk region, also claimed by Russia, Russia-appointed officials said the region's largest city had come under Ukrainian attack, with at least one person killed. Firefighters work to put out a fire at the market hit by recent shelling, which local Russian-installed authorities called a Ukrainian military strike, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko As Moscow and Kyiv talk of possible peace, Russian troops have been advancing slowly across eastern Ukraine, with Russia's Defense Ministry announcing the capture of new villages daily. And Russian forces have been carving out a 200 square km (78 square miles) chunk of Ukraine's Sumy region on the northern border. The authoritative Ukrainian Deep State map shows that Russia now controls 113,588 square km of Ukrainian territory, up 943 square km over the two months to June 28. An advance into Dnipropetrovsk region would be evidence of further gains, though Ukrainian officials have denied for weeks that Moscow's forces have made any progress in the area. Russia's state RIA news agency quoted a pro-Russian official, Vladimir Rogov, as saying that Russian forces had taken control of the village of Dachne just inside the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russia's Defense Ministry has yet to make such an assertion. In Luhansk region, Russian news agencies said Moscow-appointed governor Leonid Pasechnik told Russian television: "Two days ago, to be precise, we got a report that the territory of Luhansk region has been completely liberated, 100%." Industrialized region Russian forces moved quickly through heavily industrialized Luhansk region in the months following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but small slivers of territory had remained under Ukrainian control. In Donetsk region, Russian news agencies said Ukrainian forces had attacked the main city, also known as Donetsk, with missiles, damaging several buildings, setting a market ablaze and killing at least one person. Pictures posted on Ukrainian military websites showed explosions in Donetsk. Russia has said it is willing to make peace but that Ukraine must withdraw from the entirety of four regions which Russia mostly controls and which President Vladimir Putin says are now legally part of Russia. Ukraine and its European backers say those terms are tantamount to capitulation and that Russia is not interested in peace and that they will never accept Russian control of a fifth of Ukraine. The areas known up to now to be under Russian control include the Crimea peninsula, annexed in 2014, more than 99% of the Luhansk region, over 70% of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, all in the east or southeast, and fragments of the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions. —Reuters
AsiaOne
01-07-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Russian forces advance and take first village in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, state media say, World News
MOSCOW — Russian forces have taken control of the first village in the east-central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, Russian state media and war bloggers said on Monday (June 30), after Russia took 950 square kilometers of territory in two months. In Luhansk region in Ukraine's northeast — one of four regions that Russia now claims as its own — the Russia-appointed regional governor said that Moscow's troops were now in full control of the entire region. Farther south in Donetsk region, also claimed by Russia, Russia-appointed officials said the region's largest city had come under Ukrainian attack, with at least one person killed. As Moscow and Kyiv talk of possible peace, Russian troops have been advancing slowly across eastern Ukraine, with Russia's Defence Ministry announcing the capture of new villages daily. And Russian forces have been carving out a 200 square km (77 square m) chunk of Ukraine's Sumy region on the northern border. The authoritative Ukrainian Deep State map shows that Russia now controls 113,588 square km of Ukrainian territory, up 943 square km over the two months to June 28. An advance into Dnipropetrovsk region would be evidence of further gains, though Ukrainian officials have denied for weeks that Moscow's forces have made any progress in the area. Russia's state RIA news agency quoted a pro-Russian official, Vladimir Rogov, as saying that Russian forces had taken control of the village of Dachne just inside the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russia's Defence Ministry has yet to make such an assertion. In Luhansk region, Russian news agencies said Moscow-appointed governor Leonid Pasechnik told Russian television: "Two days ago, to be precise, we got a report that the territory of Luhansk region has been completely liberated, 100 per cent." Industrialised region Russian forces moved quickly through heavily industrialised Luhansk region in the months following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but small slivers of territory had remained under Ukrainian control. In Donetsk region, Russian news agencies said Ukrainian forces had attacked the main city, also known as Donetsk, with missiles, damaging several buildings, setting a market ablaze and killing at least one person. Pictures posted on Ukrainian military websites showed explosions in Donetsk. Russia has said it is willing to make peace but that Ukraine must withdraw from the entirety of four regions which Russia mostly controls and which President Vladimir Putin says are now legally part of Russia. Ukraine and its European backers say those terms are tantamount to capitulation and that Russia is not interested in peace and that they will never accept Russian control of a fifth of Ukraine. The areas known up to now to be under Russian control include the Crimea peninsula, annexed in 2014, more than 99 per cent of the Luhansk region, over 70 per cent of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, all in the east or southeast, and fragments of the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions. [[nid:715646]]
Korea Herald
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Russia says Moscow occupies Luhansk
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russia-appointed official in Ukraine's occupied Luhansk region said Monday that Moscow's forces have overrun all of it — one of four regions Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in September 2022 despite not fully controlling a single one. If confirmed, that would make Luhansk the first Ukrainian region fully occupied by Russia after more than three years of war and as recent US-led international peace efforts have failed to make progress on halting the fighting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected a ceasefire and hasn't budged from his demands, which include Moscow's control over the four illegally annexed regions. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv on the claim made by the Moscow-installed leader of the occupied region, Leonid Pasechnik. In remarks to Russia's state TV Channel One that aired Monday evening, Pasechnik said he received a report 'literally two days ago' saying that '100 percent' of the region was now under the control of Russian forces. The development came just hours after the top German diplomat said that Germany aims to help Ukraine manufacture more weapons more quickly as Kyiv looks to strengthen its negotiating position in peace talks with Russia . 'We see our task as helping Ukraine so that it can negotiate more strongly,' Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, accompanied by German defense industry representatives. 'When Putin speaks of peace today, it is pure mockery," Wadephul told a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. "His apparent readiness to negotiate is only a facade so far.' Russia's invasion shows no sign of letting up. Its grinding war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer front line and long-range strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine have killed thousands of troops and civilians. Ukraine is outgunned and shorthanded on the front line and international aid has been vital for Ukraine's resistance against its neighbor's bigger army and economy. Germany has been Ukraine's second-largest military backer after the United States, whose continuing support is in doubt. 'We want to build new joint ventures so that Ukraine itself can produce faster and more for its own defense, because your needs are enormous,' Wadephul said while standing next to Sybiha. 'Our arms cooperation is a real trump card — it is a logical continuation of our delivery of material,' Wadephul said. 'And we can even benefit mutually from it — with your wealth of ideas and your experience, we will become better.' Wadephul was also due to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The top German diplomat's trip to Kyiv came less than 48 hours after Russia launched its biggest combined aerial attack against Ukraine over the weekend, Ukrainian officials said, in an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in peace efforts. Ukraine's Air Force said Monday it detected 107 Russian Shahed and decoy drones in the country's air space overnight. Strikes in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region left two civilians dead and eight injured, including a 6-year-old child, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Monday. The aerial onslaughts are calculated by Russia to squeeze Ukraine into submission, according to the Institute for the Study of War. 'Russia is continuing to use increasingly large numbers of drones in its overnight strike packages in order to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and enable subsequent cruise and ballistic missile strikes,' the Washington-based think tank said late Sunday. 'The increases in Russia's strike packages in recent weeks are largely due to Russia's efforts to scale up its defense industrial production, particularly of Shahed and decoy drones and ballistic missiles,' the institute added. Sybiha thanked Germany for its contribution to Ukraine's air defense and urged Berlin to send more antimissile systems. The Russians 'are attacking civilian targets in order to create panic, to influence the mood of our population,' he said. 'The key is the air defense system.' Berlin has balked at granting Zelenskyy's request to provide Ukraine with powerful German- and Swedish-made Taurus long-range missiles , which could potentially hit targets inside Russia. That is due to fears such a move could enrage the Kremlin and draw NATO into Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged in May to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets.
Toronto Sun
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Russia says it occupies all of Ukraine's Luhansk region, illegally annexed in 2022
Published Jun 30, 2025 • 3 minute read Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on socioeconomic development of Russia-controlled Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, June 30, 2025. Photo by Kristina Kormilitsyna/Sputnik / Kremlin Pool Photo via AP KYIV — A Russia-appointed official in Ukraine's occupied Luhansk region said Monday that Moscow's forces have overrun all of it — one of four regions Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in September 2022 despite not fully controlling a single one. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account If confirmed, that would make Luhansk the first Ukrainian region fully occupied by Russia after more than three years of war and as recent U.S.-led international peace efforts have failed to make progress on halting the fighting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected a ceasefire and hasn't budged from his demands, which include Moscow's control over the four illegally annexed regions. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv on the claim made by the Moscow-installed leader of the occupied region, Leonid Pasechnik. In remarks to Russia's state TV Channel One that aired Monday evening, Pasechnik said he received a report 'literally two days ago' saying that '100%' of the region was now under the control of Russian forces. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The development came just hours after the top German diplomat said that Germany aims to help Ukraine manufacture more weapons more quickly as Kyiv looks to strengthen its negotiating position in peace talks with Russia. 'We see our task as helping Ukraine so that it can negotiate more strongly,' Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, accompanied by German defence industry representatives. 'When Putin speaks of peace today, it is pure mockery,' Wadephul told a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. 'His apparent readiness to negotiate is only a facade so far.' Russia's invasion shows no sign of letting up. Its grinding war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-km front line and long-range strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine have killed thousands of troops and civilians. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More Ukraine is outgunned and shorthanded on the front line and international aid has been vital for Ukraine's resistance against its neighbour's bigger army and economy. Germany has been Ukraine's second-largest military backer after the United States, whose continuing support is in doubt. 'We want to build new joint ventures so that Ukraine itself can produce faster and more for its own defence, because your needs are enormous,' Wadephul said while standing next to Sybiha. 'Our arms co-operation is a real trump card — it is a logical continuation of our delivery of material,' Wadephul said. 'And we can even benefit mutually from it — with your wealth of ideas and your experience, we will become better.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Wadephul was also due to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia's aerial attacks on Ukraine continue The top German diplomat's trip to Kyiv came less than 48 hours after Russia launched its biggest combined aerial attack against Ukraine over the weekend, Ukrainian officials said, in an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in peace efforts. Ukraine's air force said Monday it detected 107 Russian Shahed and decoy drones in the country's airspace overnight. Strikes in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region left two civilians dead and eight injured, including a 6-year-old child, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Monday. The aerial onslaughts are calculated by Russia to squeeze Ukraine into submission, according to the Institute for the Study of War. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Russia is continuing to use increasingly large numbers of drones in its overnight strike packages in order to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences and enable subsequent cruise and ballistic missile strikes,' the Washington-based think-tank said late Sunday. RECOMMENDED VIDEO 'The increases in Russia's strike packages in recent weeks are largely due to Russia's efforts to scale up its defence industrial production, particularly of Shahed and decoy drones and ballistic missiles.' Sybiha thanked Germany for its contribution to Ukraine's air defence and urged Berlin to send more antimissile systems. The Russians 'are attacking civilian targets in order to create panic, to influence the mood of our population,' he said. 'The key is the air defence system.' Berlin has balked at granting Zelenskyy's request to provide Ukraine with powerful German- and Swedish-made Taurus long-range missiles, which could potentially hit targets inside Russia. That is due to fears such a move could enrage the Kremlin and draw NATO into Europe's biggest conflict since the Second World War. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged in May to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any western-imposed limitations on their use and targets.
