Russia has claimed that it has fully seized the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine and captured the key stronghold of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the claims, stating that if they were true, he would be able to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin there.

According to Russian media outlets including RIA Novosti, President Putin stated during a meeting with military leaders, including Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, on the evening of July 3 (local time) that the "liberation" of the Luhansk region had been completed.

President Putin added that Russian forces had also captured Kostiantynivka, a transportation and logistics hub and a defensive line for the Ukrainian military in the Donetsk region.

The Russian military has set the full capture of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, collectively known as the Donbas, as its primary goal for the ground war.

Russia also demanded the surrender of the entire Donbas region during peace negotiations mediated by the United States.

War analysts estimate that with the front lines remaining largely stagnant, Russia occupies over 99 percent of the Luhansk region and approximately 85 percent of the Donetsk region.

Ukraine has established defensive lines in the Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk areas, which are connected from north to south along the transportation network, to block the westward advance of Russian forces.

Ukraine has refuted Russia's claim that it has captured Kostiantynivka.

Andriy Kovalev, a spokesperson for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated on July 4, "The enemy conducted 11 offensive operations on this front on July 3 but failed. Instead, they are relying on blatant misinformation and fake news at the highest level."

President Zelenskyy wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on July 4, "If Kostiantynivka were under Russian control, Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to end the war." He added, "But the fact is that he will not cross the front line. Reality is different from Putin's words."

Russia previously claimed to have fully seized the Luhansk region on April 1, but Ukraine denied the claim at the time, noting that it was the third such assertion made by Russia.

Western analysts suggest that Russia, which has recently been assessed as losing ground to Ukraine, is exaggerating its achievements on the front lines.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think tank, explained, "Putin likely staged the meeting with his commanders late on July 3 partly to influence Western media coverage of the war ahead of the U.S. holiday (Independence Day) on July 4."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)