Moscow’s military has taken control of all of Luhansk—one of four regions Russia unlawfully claimed from Ukraine in September 2022, despite not having full authority over any at the time—according to Leonid Pasechnik, an official installed by Russia in the area. His statement was made on Monday. If verified, this would mark Luhansk as the first Ukrainian region to be entirely under Russian occupation after more than three years of conflict. Kyiv did not immediately respond to the claim.
In comments broadcast on Russia’s state-run Channel One, Pasechnik said he had received a report "just two days ago" stating that Russian forces now controlled "100%" of the region.
Meanwhile, Russian state media and supporters of the war have asserted that Russian troops have seized a village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time since their offensive began three years ago. Dnipropetrovsk, located west of Donetsk, is not among the five Ukrainian regions Moscow has formally claimed. Ukrainian authorities and Russia’s defense ministry have not yet confirmed the claim.
North Korea’s state media displayed images on Monday of leader Kim Jong-un placing national flags on coffins in what seemed to be a ceremony for soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. The event coincided with the signing of a significant military agreement between the two countries. Photographs from the event, held during a performance by North Korean and Russian artists in Pyongyang, showed Kim standing before several coffins, briefly resting his hands on them after draping them with flags.
The European Union announced on Monday that it had reached an agreement on a new long-term trade arrangement with Ukraine, focusing on food imports from the conflict-affected country—a contentious issue for EU farmers. The agreement follows disputes after protests led the EU to impose limits on tariff-free Ukrainian agricultural goods. Earlier this year, the EU extended the deal for another year but introduced caps on certain duty-free products, including grains, poultry, eggs, sugar, and corn.
Under the new terms, which still require final approval, quotas will remain for sensitive agricultural sectors. In exchange, Ukraine will reduce its own limits on pork, poultry, and sugar imports from the EU and work toward aligning its food safety standards with EU regulations by 2028.
The International Monetary Fund stated on Monday that it had concluded its eighth review of Ukraine’s $15.5 billion financial assistance program, clearing the way for an additional $500 million in funding. Total disbursements under the program will now reach $10.6 billion, the IMF said, though it cautioned that Ukraine’s economic outlook still faces "exceptionally high" risks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin—
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