Russia’s Defense Ministry claims its forces have taken control of the entire Luhansk region in Ukraine. However, a Ukrainian military official denies this, stating that small areas are still held by Ukrainian forces.  Russia has previously made false claims of advances. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing for talks with U.S. envoys trying to mediate an end to the conflict. A Russian drone strike killed four people in Ukraine’s Cherkasy region on Wednesday. Ukraine’s air force says it downed 298 drones in overnight attacks.