On the sidelines, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his army on the “liberation” of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic and ordered to continue its offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (04.07.2022) ordered Russian forces to continue their offensive in eastern Ukraine after conquering the entire Lugansk region.
Russian forces “must carry out their missions according to previously approved plans,” Putin declared, during a meeting with his defense minister, Sergey Shoigu, broadcast on television.
“I hope that everything will go well in their direction as it happened in Lugansk so far,” he added.
Shoigu indicated to Putin this weekend that Russian troops were in full control of the Lugansk region, a major victory for the Kremlin more than four months after the start of a military offensive in Ukraine.
He congratulates his military
Putin also congratulated his military and militias on the “liberation” of that eastern Ukrainian region, which Moscow recognizes as an independent state, and said he expects the same successes on the other fronts.
“I ask you to present for decoration all the servicemen who distinguished themselves in these combat actions,” the president said in a meeting with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, images of which were broadcast by Russian state television.
After having abandoned its initial objective of capturing the capital Kyiv after a tough Ukrainian resistance, Russia focused its efforts on achieving full control of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in the east of the country.
