by Valery Melnikov

A besieged garrison of Ukrainian soldiers and special forces in the south of the Luhansk region started negotiating conditions of their surrender with local independence supporters, a representative of the militia told RIA Novosti Sunday.

“They have run out of combat rations, water and fuel and they have small arms to last only a couple of days. They have started negotiating. They offer to destroy all their hardware, lay down arms and then we let them out of blockade back to the Ukrainian territory,” the source said adding that the militia did not accept these conditions.

The militia wants the government soldiers to leave their hardware as it is.

According to the source, the negotiations will last up to five days.

Armed clashes in Ukraine’s southeastern regions have not been abating since mid-April, when Kiev announced the beginning of a special military operation to suppress a growing independence movement among local citizens.

The civilian death toll from the running battles between government soldiers and self-defense forces has already surpassed 1,000, according to the recent UN estimates.

Moscow has repeatedly condemned Kiev’s military campaign against the population in the east of the country, advocating a peaceful resolution to the crisis.