Three Russian cosmonauts raised the flags of Ukraine's self-proclaimed separatist territories of Luhansk and Donetsk at the International Space Station, the Russian space agency Roskosmos reported via Telegram.
"We are celebrating on Earth and in space at the same time," astronauts Oleg Artemiyev, Denis Matveyev and Sergey Korsakov said in a message with attached pictures, waving the flags of the two self-proclaimed "republics" in eastern Ukraine inside the International Space Station.
"Russian and Luhansk forces have established full control over Lisichansky, the last major city of the Lugansk People's Republic," they said.
Ukrainian forces announced on Sunday that they were withdrawing from the strategic city of Lysichansk, allowing Russian soldiers and pro-Russian separatists to take control of the Luhansk region.
"We are convinced that July 3, 2022, will forever be recorded in the history of the republic. Citizens of the Donetsk People's Republic, wait," Roscosmos said in a statement.
The takeover of Lisichansk was important to Russia's plan to conquer the entire Donbass, an industrial basin that includes the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
It is now urgent for the Ukrainian forces to stop the Russian advance towards the west and the two leading cities of the neighboring Donetsk region, Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, reported Agence France Presse.
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