Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-appointed official in Ukraine's Luhansk region, has claimed that Russian forces now fully control the territory. If confirmed, Luhansk would be the first Ukrainian region entirely under Russian control since the full-scale invasion began over three years ago. The area was one of four regions Russia claimed to annex in September 2022. Earlier on June 20, President Putin reiterated his ambition to absorb all of Ukraine into Russia.