Ukraine forces retake Avdiivka town in Donetsk
Iran Press TV
Wed Jul 30, 2014 12:42PM GMT
Ukraine's army says it has recaptured the town of Avdiivka on the outskirts of Donetsk as it continues to battle pro-Russia forces in the country's eastern regions.
Ukrainian government forces said in a statement on Wednesday that they had taken control of the city having some 40,000 residents located about 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of Donetsk.
In addition, government forces reported that they have intercepted a convoy of vehicles allegedly carrying supplies from Russia.
This is while fighting continued in the area around the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. Kiev forces said they were conducting operations in the town of Ilovaysk, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the crash site.
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was reportedly shot down over Ukraine's volatile eastern region of Donetsk on July 17, when it was flying from the Dutch city of Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing 298 passengers and crew on board.
Meanwhile, fighting raged on in another flashpoint region, Lugansk, with local authorities saying that one civilian was killed and ten others injured in clashes over the past 24 hours.
The developments come just a day after 20 civilians were killed during shelling by government forces in Lugansk.
Ukraine launched military operations in Donetsk and Lugansk in mid-April to crush pro-Russia forces there. Violence intensified in May after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums, in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.
The United Nations says at least 1,129 people have been killed in the ongoing military campaign in eastern Ukraine. According to the UN, over 100,000 people are internally displaced due to the conflict. In addition, tens of thousands of others have escaped to Russia.
CAH/AB/SS
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