Key city falls

Russians now in control of Luhansk | Border city 'hit by Ukraine missiles'

- BEN GLAZE

RUSSIAN forces last night seized control of the Luhansk region after resistance crumbled in its final city.

Vladimir Putin’s regime took Lysychansk, the last holdout in the province, which alongside Donetsk makes up the fiercely contested Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told tyrant Putin that Luhansk had been “liberated” and that Russians had taken full control of the region.

And Ukraine’s army general staff later confirmed: “After heavy fighting for Lysychansk, the defence forces of Ukraine were forced to withdraw from their occupied positions and lines.”

It said that the Russians had multiple advantages in artillery, aircraft, man power and other forces.