Separatists demand withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from contested territories Friday, May 13, 2016 10:18:00 PM

Casting doubt on the effectiveness of negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine, skirmishes continue along the contact line dividing separatist-held territories from the rest of Ukraine.

Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that separatist leaders have demanded that the Ukrainian military withdraw from the territories recently taken by government forces.

According to the news agency, representatives of the separatist republics, Denis Pushilin and Vladyslav Deinego, issued a joint statement at the Minsk negotiations calling for such a withdrawal.

In March, the Ukrainian forces advanced and took over the Avdiivka industrial zone. This brought the strategic Yasynuvata junction within firing range of Ukrainian artillery, effectively blocking the major transport route from Donetsk to Horlivka. Separatists have been trying to regain the territory but have been unsuccessful.

Ukrainian forces also recently advanced near Dokuchaievsk and took over the strategic heights around the city.

With only several hundred meters separating the two sides, the Avdiivka industrial zone still remains the epicenter of intense fighting.

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