Luhansk, Kiev Agree to Establish Ceasefire on January 18, 19

Head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic Igor Plotnitsky stated that Kiev-controlled regional administration and LPR agreed on a ceasefire during the Epiphany celebrations on January 18 – 19.

MOSCOW, January 17 (Sputnik) – The authorities of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and the Kiev-controlled regional administration have agreed on a ceasefire during the Epiphany celebrations on January 18 — 19, the republic's head told RIA Novosti Saturday.

"The [ceasefire] agreement was reached [for the period of Epiphany celebrations]. We [LPR, Kiev] have already exchanged the letters of guarantee," Igor Plotnitsky said.

In September 2014, Kiev authorities and representatives of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics met twice in the Belarusian capital Minsk. The talks resulted in reaching a ceasefire agreement between the warring parties. Both sides, however, subsequently accused each other of violating the truce.

On December 9, 2014, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko declared a so-called silence regime in a bid to resume a peace process in the region.

Despite the Minsk ceasefire agreement and the "silence regime," violent clashes in southeastern Ukraine intensified in the first weeks of 2015.