Shoigu told Putin that “the operation” was completed Sunday after Russian troops overran the city of Lysychansk, the last stronghold of Ukrainian forces in Luhansk. Serhiy Haidai said Monday that Ukrainian forces had retreated from the city to avoid being surrounded. The Russian army has also intensified its shelling of the key Ukrainian strongholds of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, deeper in Donetsk. In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the withdrawal, but vowed that Ukrainian forces will fight their way back. In the Russian city of Kursk, two Ukrainian drones were shot down, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 04, 2022 18:16 UTC