(VOVworld) – Ukrainian officials said 5 soldiers have been killed in the latest clash with separatists in the Luhansk area of eastern Ukraine. Ukraine and the separatists blamed each other for the clash late Sunday. The Ukrainian army said 6 soldiers were wounded and 20 rebels were killed.

Ukrainian citizens go through a checkpoint in Luhansk area on December 16 (Photo:EPA/VNA)

Fighting has been going on in eastern Ukraine since April, 2004, and progress towards a political solution has been slow. An estimated 10,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have fled the fighting.