According to Russian TASS news agency reports on July 3, Russian President Putin announced on the same day that the Russian army had 'fully liberated' Lugansk.
On the 3rd, Putin inspected a supporting command post of a Russian joint force group. When meeting with the head of the Russian General Staff and commanders of various units, he announced the above information.
He said that the Russian army is accelerating its offensive across the entire front line, carrying out operations according to the deployment of the General Staff. They continue to eliminate Ukrainian forces in the Luhansk region, Zaporizhia province, and Kherson province. The Ukrainian army tries to hold their positions, but suffers heavy losses under the fierce attacks from the Russian army and is forced to retreat.
Putin also said that since early this year, the Russian military has taken control of 133 settlements and over 3,000 square kilometers of territory in Donbas and other areas. The work to establish security zones in Kharkov Oblast, Sumy Oblast, and Dnipro-Petrovsk Oblast is proceeding as planned.
Russian President Putin. Russian President's Website
He also stated that the Russian army has taken control of Konstantinovka. The Ukrainian forces have established a multi-level defense system in Slavyanovsk, Kramatorsk, Droujkovka, and Konstantinovka. Taking control of Konstantinovka is the first step, and also a crucial step, in capturing this defensive stronghold.
On the same day, the Ukrainian National Security Service announced on its official website that, as part of President Zelenskyy's 40-day campaign against Russia, the service used drones to attack two military airports in Crimea. According to the latest report from the Russian Ministry of Defense, from June 27th to July 3rd, Russian military strikes destroyed several Ukrainian military facilities.
