Ukraine reached a cease-fire with pro-Russian separatists today. The agreement, reported by The New York Times, was between the Ukrainian military and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR.) It begins on Friday, with the removal of heavy weaponry starting on Saturday. A similar cease-fire was signed on September 5 but has since dissolved, with violence erupting in eastern Ukraine numerous times.
As part of the cease-fire, the separatist group will exert more control and leadership over splinter groups, which have caused problems in the past that led to the breakdown of the last cease-fire. "[The LPR] insisted that they were in control of all Cossack units and that these units, too, would adhere to this proposal," said the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which helped broker the cease-fire, in a statement to the Times.
A Russian general was present at the cease-fire discussion, and Igor Plotnitsky, leader of the LPR, agreed to the deal.
Though Ukrainian officials have made progress with the LPR, conflict arose this evening between the Ukrainian military and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR,) another pro-Russian separatist group. The DPR attacked the Donetsk airport, which has been a major battle point throughout the conflict. While the DPR has control of much of Donetsk and the surrounding region, the Ukrainian military has been trying to secure the airport to keep control from the separatists.
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