BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- According to a brief statement by the Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has informed President Vladimir Putin of the control of Lugansk.
The statement said that the region has been "liberated" after Russian troops and the armed forces of Lugansk took full control of Lysychansk, a key city of Lugansk, and its nearby settlements.
Also on Sunday, an official of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry denied reports that Lysychansk has been under the full control of Russian armed forces.
According to the government-run Ukrinform news agency, Yuriy Sak, adviser to Defense Minister Olexiy Reznikov, told BBC that the situation in Lysychansk has been "very tense for quite a long time," and Russian troops have been "constantly attacking the city."
Sak said that even if Russian forces were to seize the entire Lugansk region, the battle for Donbass, which comprises the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, will continue as Ukrainian forces control much of the Donetsk region.
Sak added that several other large towns in Donetsk remained under Kiev's control.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
