Ukrainian army liberates another settlement in Luhansk Oblast

The Armed Forces liberated the village of Stelmakhivka, Luhansk region
The Armed Forces liberated the village of Stelmakhivka, Luhansk region

This is the seventh settlement of the oblast that has been officially confirmed by the Ukrainian authorities as having been liberated.

Hayday announced on Oct. 5 the beginning of the liberation of Luhansk Oblast, as the successful counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast started to move deeper into the territory of the oblast.

Much of Luhansk Oblast was invaded by Russia near the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and by the start of July 2022 it was almost completely been under the invaders’ control.

At the same time, local partisans continued to fight there.

Russia organized an illegal "referendum" in Luhansk Oblast and other occupied territories of Ukraine, in an attempt to legitimize claims of their annexation. On Sept. 30, Russia officially announced the "annexation" of the occupied Ukrainian territories. Corresponding "treaties" weresigned by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and collaborators from Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya Oblasts.

Ukraine and the countries of the civilized world have declared that they will never recognize the annexation of Ukrainian territories, or the results of the Russian pseudo-referendum, which were held without legal basis, with falsifications and under armed pressure.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine