Russia Now Controls 80 Percent of Luhansk Region
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The latest on the Russia–Ukraine crisis, April 20. Click here for updates from April 19.
Russia Now Controls 80 Percent of Luhansk Region
The Luhansk governor said Russian forces now control 80 percent of the region, which is one of two regions that make up the Donbas in eastern Ukraine.
One of Russia’s stated goals is to expand the territory in the Donbas under the control of Moscow-backed separatists.
Before Russia invaded on Feb. 24, the Kyiv government-controlled 60 percent of the Luhansk region.
Gov. Serhiy Haidai said the Russians, who renewed their offensive this week in eastern and southern Ukraine, have strengthened their attacks in the Luhansk region.
After seizing Kreminna, Haidai said the Russians now are threatening the cities of Rubizhne and Popasna and he has urged all residents to evacuate immediately.
The Donetsk region, also part of the Donbas, has seen extremely heavy fighting as well—particularly around the port city of Mariupol.
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Top Putin Ally Says Russia Will Capture Mariupol on Thursday
A top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian forces will seize the last main stronghold of resistance in the besieged city of Mariupol on Thursday after Ukraine proposed talks on evacuating troops and civilians there.
Mariupol would be the biggest city to be seized by Russia since invading Ukraine eight weeks ago in an attack that has taken longer than some military analysts expected, seen over five million people flee abroad and turned cities to rubble.
“Before lunchtime, or after lunch, Azovstal will be completely under the control of the forces of the Russian Federation,” Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Russia‘s republic of Chechnya, whose forces have been fighting in Ukraine, said of the steel plant.
Ukraine Offers to Hold Mariupol Talks With Russia to Evacuate Garrison, Civilians
Senior Ukrainian negotiators on Wednesday offered to hold special talks with Russia in Mariupol without conditions in a bid to evacuate troops and civilians from the besieged port city.
Negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that the talks could be “one on one. Two on two. To save our guys, Azov, military, civilians, children, the living, and the wounded.”
Ukraine accused Russian forces on Wednesday of failing to observe a local ceasefire agreement long enough to allow large numbers of women, children ,and elderly people to flee the city, which has been largely pounded to rubble by Russian forces.
The remaining fighters holed up in a vast steel works have ignored previous ultimatums by Russia to surrender and made clear on Wednesday their stance had not changed.
David Arakhamia, a second negotiator, said in an online post that he and Podolyak were in constant contact with Ukrainian forces in the city.
“Today, in a conversation with the city defenders, a proposal was put forward to hold direct negotiations, on site, on the evacuation of our military garrison,” he said. “For our part, we are ready to arrive for such negotiations at any time as soon as we receive confirmation from the Russian side.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.