The so-called Luhansk People’s Republic claims that it has recaptured a fortified area from Ukrainian forces in the eastern part of the country.
These images were obtained from the separatist, pro-Russian so-called Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), which is recognized by Russia as a sovereign state but is not recognized by the vast majority of the international community.
The LPR said on the morning of Tuesday, June 7, that its People’s Militia, “together with the allied forces, recaptured the Nazi fortified area near Borovskoye.” Borovskoye is a town in Ukraine that is situated south of the settlement of Voronove , which is located in the Luhanks Oblast region of eastern Ukraine.
The images show LPR troops displaying what appear to be Ukrainian uniforms and weaponry.
In the footage, an LPR soldier says: “We occupied Ukrainian positions, now we are holding them, we occupied them with the 38th battalion, the 40th battalion and the Akhmat group.”
They said their opponents did not put up much resistance and were forced to abandon “positions, things, trophies, bulletproof vests, helmets, and personal belongings.”
They added: “We caught up with them in Borovskoye, and remained in these positions, entrenching ourselves until the next offensive.”
And a spokesperson for the LPR’s People’s Militia further claimed: “A unit of the People’s Militia of the LPR recaptured an important fortified position near the village of Borovskoye from the Ukrainian Nazis.
“The militants did not even try to defend themselves, leaving their personal belongings and their precious foreign weapons, retreating in a hurry into residential areas, hiding behind civilians.
“The seriousness of these fortifications is inspiring: kilometers of trenches, machine-gun emplacements, dugouts for shelter from artillery fire, the Nazis were preparing for a long defense, but all of the above did not help against the decisive onslaught of the liberators.
“The liberation of the Luhansk region continues, the Ukrainian Nazis, who retreated to Borovskoye, doom themselves to certain death, since Severodonetsk is under the control of the People’s Militia of the LPR and allied forces, and there are absolutely no chances for a successful offensive.”
Russian forces and pro-Russian separatists regularly refer to Ukrainian forces as “Nazis.” Russia often invokes its stated mission as being to “denazify” Ukraine, despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being Jewish. Russian state media also repeatedly compares events in Ukraine to Russia’s fight against the Nazis in World War II.
Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation.” June 7 marks 104 days since the beginning of the campaign.
We contacted Russian and Ukrainian officials for comment but had not received a reply at the time of writing.
From February 24 to June 6, the total combat losses of Russian troops stand at around 31,250 personnel, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military also claims that Russia has lost 1,386 tanks, 3,400 armored fighting vehicles, 690 artillery systems, 207 multiple launch rocket systems, 96 anti-aircraft systems, 211 warplanes, 176 helicopters, 2,395 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, 13 vessels, 551 unmanned aerial vehicles, 53 units of special equipment, and 125 cruise missiles.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications (StratCom) said on June 6 that Russian Major General Roman Kutuzov was killed in a battle near Popasna in the Luhansk region. This has now been confirmed by Russian state media.
The United Kingdom and the United States have announced that they are sending long-range missile systems to Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of more attacks in Ukraine if the West sends long-range weapons.
Russian missiles struck Kyiv on Sunday, June 5 in the first assault on the Ukrainian capital in weeks.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian attacks on the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk has turned them into “dead cities.” But he added that Ukrainian forces could still hold Severodonetsk despite being outnumbered.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, walked out of a Security Council meeting on June 6 after his country was blamed by European Council president Charles Michel for triggering a global food crisis.
