 In 2014 Shchastya was controlled by the separatist Lugansk People's Republic from late April 2014 till the Ukrainian army retook the city on 14 June 2014.It was mainly retaken by the volunteer fighters of the Aidar battalion who according to Amnesty International then with “virtually no oversight or control” committed war crimes in Shchastya and nearby cities.According to Shchastya residents this behaviour continued until Aidar was incorporated into the Ukrainian army in spring 2015.