KIEV, December 20. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on Tuesday visited the city of Artyomovsk in Ukraine, located in the Kiev-occupied zone of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Dom Ukrainian TV channel revealed.

According to the TV channel, the visit turned out to be unannounced. It was Zelensky's second trip to the Kiev-controlled territories of Donbass this month. On December 6, he said he had visited Slavyansk.

Sergey Nikiforov, press secretary of the President of Ukraine, confirmed Zelensky’s trip to the city to the RBC-Ukraine news agency, adding that the leader had already come and gone.

Russian forces have been fighting for control of Artyomovsk in recent months. According to DPR head Denis Pushilin, control of this city will enable the liberation of the republic’s northern areas. Zelensky called Artyomovsk and Soledar the most brutal and utterly agonizing sections of the frontline for Ukrainian forces.