The Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday its forces have seized full control of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, as Kyiv continues a campaign of drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure. Russia has long held more than 99% of Luhansk, one of four Ukrainian regions Moscow said it annexed in 2022. The ministry stated that Russian forces also took control of the village of Verkhnia Pysarivka in the Kharkiv region and the village of Boykov in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine. A Russian oil refinery in Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow, was also targeted early Saturday morning. The Ukrainian president also criticized the easing of U.S. sanctions, specifically a Treasury Department suspension of sanctions on Russian oil already at sea.

Source: Daily News Egypt April 01, 2026 22:31 UTC