Gerasimov reports for the fourth time on the complete occupation of Luhansk Oblast
Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, has once again made a cynical statement claiming the alleged complete occupation of the Luhansk region.
In his report, the Russian general claims that since the beginning of 2026, 80 settlements have allegedly come under the invaders’ control.
“The liberation of the Luhansk People’s Republic has been fully completed,” the agency’s press service quotes Gerasimov as saying.
However, these claims directly contradict data from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and independent monitoring projects, such as DeepState, which document the presence of Ukrainian defense forces on the western outskirts of the region.
This is already the fourth attempt by the Russian command to “complete” the capture of Luhansk Oblast on paper. The Russian Ministry of Defense first reported the “complete liberation” of the region back in July 2022.
Similar statements were made in June and October 2025, when Russian dictator Vladimir Putin personally claimed control over “nearly 100%” of the territory.
Another wave of disinformation surged in early April 2026, but each time Ukrainian defenders refuted these false claims by successfully holding their positions.
According to operational data, as of April 21, fierce fighting continues in the areas around the settlements of Stelmakhivka, Makiivka, and Hrekivka.
Russian troops are concentrating significant forces for assaults, yet Ukrainian units continue to hold their defenses in areas that the Russians have already declared “liberated.”
The enemy’s “full control” exists only in the reports of Russian propagandists, while territories under Ukrainian control remain on the map of the region.
Even among Russian military bloggers, Gerasimov’s statements have sparked a wave of skepticism and outright ridicule.
Analysts note that such rhetoric is aimed at the Russian domestic audience to create the illusion of military victories against the backdrop of heavy losses in personnel and equipment.
In the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces have almost completely occupied Hryshyne
Additionally, on the morning of April 15, Ukrainian “Lyuty” strike drones attacked a petrochemical plant in the city of Sterlitamak, located in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russian Federation.
In the city of Sterlitamak in Bashkortostan, one of the centers of the chemical and petrochemical industry of the Russian Federation, an attack was recorded on facilities that may be associated with the production of components for military equipment.
