Ukrainian Forces Seize Settlement In Luhansk Area Of Donbas - Reports

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2018) The Ukrainian forces took under their control the settlement of Vilne, located near the city of Luhansk in the embattled Donbas region, local media reported.

The operation to seize the settlement was held by the Ukrainian intelligence, the 1+1 broadcaster reported on Friday.

Sputnik currently does not have any comment by the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR).

The LPR and the nearby self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) have repeatedly said that the Ukrainian forces have taken control over settlements located in the Donbas neutral area in violation of the Minsk agreements, aimed at resolving the Ukrainian conflict.

The DPR and the LPR proclaimed their independence from Kiev in 2014, refusing to recognize the new central government. The secession prompted Kiev to begin a military operation in the area. The conflict between the Donbas republics and the Ukrainian central authorities has claimed lives of over 10,000 people and is still ongoing.

Efforts to stabilize the situation in eastern Ukraine have been made by the Normandy Four group which, among other things, brokered the Minsk peace accords that were signed by the sides to the conflict in a bid to end hostilities. However, the warring parties have failed to observe the ceasefire, so the unrest in Donbas continues.