Russian President Putin announced on the 3rd that Russian forces have 'completely liberated' Luhansk and achieved significant progress in Donetsk.
On the same day, Putin inspected an auxiliary command post of the Russian Joint Forces Grouping, holding a nearly hour-long military meeting with senior staff from the Russian General Staff and commanders of various units regarding the current situation and recent developments in the special military operation zone. During the meeting, Putin announced the relevant news.
Putin stated that Russian troops are continuously accelerating their offensive along the entire front, carrying out operations according to the General Staff's plan, and continuing to eliminate Ukrainian forces in Luhansk region, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Kherson Oblast. He said the Ukrainian army is trying to hold its ground, but under fierce Russian attacks has suffered heavy losses and has been forced to retreat.
He indicated that since the beginning of this year, Russian forces have taken control of 133 settlements and over 3,000 square kilometers of territory in Donbas and other areas. Work on establishing security zones in Kharkiv Oblast, Sumy Oblast, and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is proceeding according to plan.
Putin pointed out that Russian forces have now taken control of Kostyantynivka. Ukrainian forces have established deep, layered defensive systems in Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostyantynivka; taking control of Kostyantynivka is the first step—and a crucial one—towards breaking through this defensive stronghold.