Russian Forces Fail to Seize Ukraine’s Last Luhansk Positions Despite 144 Assaults

Ukraine’s Third Assault Brigade denied Russia’s claim that its forces had captured the entire Luhansk region, according to Radio Svoboda on April 2.

The denial came after Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on April 1 that Russian troops had fully taken the region.

The brigade’s official channel stated that Ukrainian forces remain deployed inside the Luhansk region and continue to hold defensive positions in several settlements.

According to the statement, Russian forces carried out 144 assault attempts over the past six months near Nadiia and Novoiehorivka.

The brigade stated that those attacks involved 19 motorized vehicles and more than 360 Russian troops. It added that Russian losses in the area reached up to 260 killed and more than 80 wounded.

In its statement, the unit declared that it is still defending “the last lines” of the region. It added that Ukrainian troops continue to hold positions in Nadiia, Novoiehorivka, and Hrekivka despite repeated Russian attempts to seize the area both on the ground and “virtually” through what it described as lies and fake claims.

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The brigade also mocked Moscow’s latest announcement, noting that it would not join in offering “congratulations” on what it called the professional holiday of Russian propagandists. The message was published on April 1, a date widely associated with April Fools’ Day.

The interaction also reflects a broader Russian effort to attach military claims in Donbas to demands for political concessions, as the ultimatum, outlined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, casts Russia’s ceasefire terms as a demand that Ukraine voluntarily leave Donbas within two months or face even harsher conditions.

Zelenskyy presented the message as further proof that Moscow is using negotiations to press for military and political concessions rather than a genuine halt to the fighting.

He concluded that Ukraine does not believe Russia can fully capture the region within that timeframe, despite the pressure embedded in the warning.

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