The war in Eastern Ukraine, also called the War in Donbas, has been grinding on ever since the end of 2014, and although it rarely makes US headlines, it is still no closer to stopping.
Today, rather than troop movements and urban battles, the war in the region consists mainly or intermittent shelling and a frozen frontline — along with an ever-present sense of dread among local inhabitants.
There was also an internal shakeup this year among the Russian-backed rebels based in Luhansk, which, along with Donetsk, is one of two major cities under rebel control in the country.
Amid the various other stories, conflicts, and events that took center stage in 2017, it has been easy to forget that there is still an active war taking place between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian government within Europe's borders.