Russia claims control of the entire Luhansk province; kyiv rejects him

The 130th day of the war would mark an important milestone for Russia. Moscow says it has taken control of the entire Lugansk province in eastern Ukraine, where the heaviest fighting has been focused.

According to the Kremlin, this is the scene after its troops and pro-Russian separatists surrounded and entered the city of Lysychansk, the remaining city in the hands of local authorities in that area of ​​the country. A Ukrainian government spokesman rejected the Russian version.

Meanwhile, Moscow accused kyiv of counter-coups in the neighboring country. At least three people died in the Russian city of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine, after several explosions were recorded.

These are the main news of this July 3:

• 06:53 (BOG) Australia’s Prime Minister visits kyiv

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited three war-torn cities in the Ukrainian region of kyiv, to which the capital of the same name belongs, on Sunday, local governor Oleksiy Kuleba confirmed.

Kuleba detailed that Albanese visited the cities of Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel, where survivors and human rights organizations have accused Russian troops of committing atrocities against civilians, such as executions and rapes. Russia insists on denying the allegations.

“Australia supports Ukraine and wants justice for the crimes committed here,” Kuleba quoted Albanese as saying.

• 6:27 (BOG) Exiled mayor claims Ukraine attacked Russian military base in Melitopol

Ukrainian forces carried out more than 30 attacks against a Russian military base in the city of Melitopol, in southern Ukraine, occupied by Moscow since the beginning of the invasion, the exiled mayor of the city, Ivan Fedorov, said in a broadcast message. by Telegram.

Russian-imposed authorities in the city, one of the first to fall to the Russians, said several houses near the airfield were damaged.

“There were no casualties,” said Evgeny Balitsky, head of the Russian-installed council in the southern region of Zaporizhia, to which the town belongs.

• 06:05 (BOG) Moscow accuses kyiv of attacks in Belgorod, Russia, that leave three dead

At least three people were killed and dozens of residential buildings were damaged in Belgorod, Russia, which borders Ukraine, after several explosions were registered, according to the local governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov.

At least 11 apartment buildings and 39 residential houses were damaged, including five completely destroyed, Gladkov said.

“I emphasize that this missile attack was intentionally planned and launched against the civilian population of Russian cities,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

kyiv has not commented on the matter and the information has not been independently verified.

• 05:43 (BOG) Russia declares victory over Luhansk province after alleged seizure of Lysychansk

According to Moscow, Russian forces backed by separatists in eastern Ukraine have taken full control of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine.

The statement was made by the office of the Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, after the invading troops allegedly surrounded and entered Lysychansk, the last large city in the area in the hands of local authorities and which before the conflict was a large coal mining center

“As Army General Sergei Shoigu reported (to Putin), after successful military operations, the Russian armed forces, together with units of the people’s militia of the Luhansk People’s Republic, gained full control of the city of Lysychansk.” the ministry said in a statement.

kyiv has not confirmed the Russian claim which, if confirmed, would mark a major milestone for the Kremlin on the 130th day of the war.

A few hours earlier, Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the city, which had been in intense fighting for weeks, could fall.

Nevertheless, Yuriy Sak, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry denied Moscow’s claims. The situation in the area had been “very intense for quite some time,” with Russian forces attacking “nonstop,” he described.

After its initial attempt to take the capital kyiv was repelled, Russia has focused on trying to expel Ukrainian forces from the eastern regions of Lugansk and Donetsk. Both make up the Donbass region, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting the local army since the first Russian military intervention on Ukrainian soil in 2014.

With Reuters, AP and local media