Russia Claims Full Occupation of Ukraine's Luhansk Region

Russian forces claim to have fully seized the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, marking the first Ukrainian territory to be completely occupied by Russia after more than three years of conflict, according to Leonid Pasechnik, the Russia-appointed official there. This claim, made on Russian state media, has not been independently confirmed by Kyiv, which has not yet commented. The seizure coincides with Russia's ongoing refusal to accept a ceasefire and insistence on controlling the four Ukrainian regions it annexed in 2022, despite stalled international peace efforts. Meanwhile, Germany has pledged to help Ukraine increase its domestic weapons production to strengthen Kyiv's position in peace negotiations, with German officials criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin's peace overtures as insincere. The conflict continues with heavy fighting and long-range strikes inflicting significant casualties on both military personnel and civilians, with Ukraine relying heavily on international aid to sustain its defense. Additionally, North Korea has publicly displayed coffins believed to be of its soldiers killed fighting alongside Russia, highlighting Pyongyang's support for Moscow in the war.