Kyiv appears set to retake Luhansk: report.

Photo: Symbolic.

Separatists in self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics of Ukraine’s Donbass have declared to join the Russian Federation. Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia and Kherson regions also want to stage a referendum to be annexed to Russia.

On Tuesday, the rebel parliament in Luhansk approved an act. Then the head of Donetsk Daniil Pushylin announced that the referendum would also take place in the Donbass region. The vote will take place in Luhansk on September 23—27.

But Ukraine later said that it was already underway.

German news agency Deutsche Welle quoted the Ukrainian governor of Luhansk, Gaidai, saying Bilohorivka village in Luhansk was recaptured by the Ukraine army. This area is just 10 km from Lysychansk city. That was the last city in Ukraine’s Luhansk oblast under Russian control when the Russian Army occupied it last year. In fact, since seizing the city, Russia has kept watch over ALL of Luhansk from there.

According to Gaidai, the Ukrainian army is advancing on that city . But in Russia resistance is being prepared. Experts say Moscow will lose a large chunk of territory in Luhansk oblast if Lysychansk falls. Ukrainian prime minister Volodymyr Zelensky said in a TV broadcast that Russia’s forces are withdrawing from Luhansk.

Ukrainians will regain its territory at the earliest opportunity. None of these Ukrainian claims have been confirmed to us at Deutsche Welle.