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Military operation in Ukraine

Russian troops seize initiative on Lugansk front, say local authorities

It is reported that the operations by the Russia-LPR armed forces have reduced the intensity of the Ukrainian army’s artillery bombardments

SIMFEROPOL, January 18. /TASS/. Russian troops have managed to seize the initiative from the Ukrainian military in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), Oleg Koval, deputy chairman of the LPR people’s council, told TASS on Wednesday.

"We have now switched over from defense. We can say that today the initiative has been seized by the Russian Armed Forces. This is [absolutely clear] in the LPR and this is what we can also see in the DPR [Donetsk People’s Republic]. That is, the initiative is on our side," Koval said.

The operations by the Russia-LPR armed forces have reduced the intensity of the Ukrainian army’s artillery bombardments, he said.

"Our armed forces should be given their due as they have taken measures that help reduce the intensity of these bombardments [by the Ukrainian military] and they are also conducting successful counter-battery warfare measures," Koval said.

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