One Ukrainian Soldier Killed, Four Wounded In Latest Clashes With Separatists
By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
KYIV -- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry says one of its soldiers was killed and four were wounded in the latest clashes with Russia-backed separatists in the country's east.
The ministry said in a statement that the clashes occurred early on February 18 near the town of Zolote in the Luhansk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the latest clashes "an attempt to disrupt the peace process" and said he will gather a Security Council meeting later in the day.
Some areas of Ukraine’s eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, generally known as the Donbas, have been controlled since April 2014 by Russia-backed separatists.
Russia incited a rebellion in the region following Moscow's illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in March 2014 but has denied any involvement in the ongoing conflict, in which more than 13,000 people have been killed.
With reporting by UNIAN