Russia claims significant victory in Luhansk with the capture of Bilohorivka
10:39 AM EDT, May 20, 2024
On Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian forces had completely captured a small town in the Luhansk region. Since the fall of 2022, Bilohorivka has been considered one of the last strongholds of the Ukrainian army in this region.
Many of the reports by Russian state media or Kremlin officials may not be valid. Such reports could be part of an information war by the Russian Federation.
The announcement about the capture of Bilohorivka was made on the Russian Ministry of Defense’s profile on Telegram. The Reuters news agency then cited the information.
The ministry stated that the "North" group of forces breached Ukraine's defensive line. The 42nd Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was allegedly defeated near the town of Hluboke, and two counterattacks by assault groups were repelled in the areas of Vovchansk and Starytsia in the Kharkiv region.
Meanwhile, the "West" group of forces defeated formations of the 63rd Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 1st Brigade of the National Guard in Chervonaya Dibrova and Kuzmine in the Luhansk region.
According to the Russians, the "South" group "completely liberated" a village in this area. This changes the balance of power in place since the fall of 2022.
Russians report progress on the front. Claim they captured a Ukrainian stronghold in the Luhansk region
The Russians have not captured the entire Luhansk region, where the Kremlin established its authorities. From the towns of Bilohorivka and Verkhnokamyanka in the western part of the region, near the border with the Donetsk region, Ukrainian forces were able to push back Putin's troops.
Since that time, the Ukrainian side has maintained that the Russians do not fully control the Luhansk region. If the reports of the Russian ministry are accurate, Ukraine has lost a significant stronghold in the Luhansk region.
