July 05, 2022 21:18 PM
On the 4th, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (right) briefed Putin on the situation at the Kremlin.
[Reference News Network]Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 4th ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to continue the offensive in Ukraine after Russian troops took control of the entire Luhansk region, according to AFP Moscow on July 4.
“The troops, including the eastern and western fronts, must carry out their tasks according to previously approved plans,” Putin told Shoigu.
“I hope everything continues to go according to plan, as is currently happening in Luhansk.”
Shoigu told Putin that Moscow’s army now fully controls the Luhansk region. According to the report, this is a major victory for the Kremlin since Russia sent troops to Ukraine for more than four months.
Putin said that those troops who participated in the Luhansk battle and won the battle should “rest and restore their combat capability”.
According to Reuters, the governor of the Luhansk region said on the 4th that after “occupying” Luhansk, Russia will turn its focus to “occupying” all territories in the neighboring Donetsk region.
Luhansk Oblast Governor Sergei Gaidai said he expected the city of Slavyansk, especially the town of Bakhmut, to come under heavy attack as Russia tries to take full control of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian side said that after the Ukrainian army withdrew from the bombed city of Lisichansk, the Russian army had full control of the Luhansk region. However, Al-Qaeday said fighting was still ongoing in two small villages.
“From a military point of view, it is not a good thing to leave the position, but the situation is not critical,” he said. “We are going to win this war, not the battle of Lisichansk. Although the losses are great, the war has not been lost.”