Russia Claims Luhansk, Ukraine Disputes

0:00Russia's defense ministry says their forces have fully taken the Lohansk region in eastern Ukraine, calling it the complete liberation of the so-called Lohansk People's Republic. But Ukrainian military spokespeople push back hard, saying they still hold key positions there with no major changes on the ground. Meanwhile, President Zelensky is gearing up for a video call today with U.S. envoy Steve Whitkopf and Jared Kushner, sent by President Trump to push. For trilateral talks, it may be in the invasion now in its fifth year. Russian claims like this have been off before, like last June when they said Lohansk was done. But Ukraine says Moscow exaggerates to pressure, negotiators. The fighting's taking a brutal toll, with the United Nations reporting over 15,000 Ukrainian civilians killed so far. Yesterday, Russian drones hit central churkacy, killing four in Zola Tenozhya, and damaged sights near Poland and Lutska, sparking fires but no other. Deaths.

1:00Ukraine's air force knocked down 298 drones overnight, mostly Iranian-style shahids from Russia and Crimea. Thingtanks note Ukraine's making their biggest gains lately since the Kursk push last August and their 2023 counteroffensive, slowing. Russia's bigger army. Zelensky says the front lines are tense with a Russian spring push, but his troops are standing firm while sharing drone tech know-how with Saudi. Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and others to counter threats in the Middle East. From your city, powered by AI, this is Vancouver News today.