Ukrainian Militants Holed Up at Azot Plant Signal Readiness to Negotiate, LPR Envoy Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukrainian militants entrenched at the Azot chemical plant in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) are signalling their readiness to resume negotiations, LPR ambassador to Russia Rodion Miroshnik said on Sunday, adding that this will in no way impact the conditions of surrender offered to them.

"The militants trapped at Azot are signalling that they are ready to continue negotiations. They will continue, but the conditions of laying down arms for the militants will clearly not improve. While they tempted the fate by disrupting ceasefire agreements, the military background for them has only worsened," Miroshnik said on Telegram.

The Azot chemical plant is located in the LPR city of Severodonetsk and is now under the control of armed Ukrainian units, who were pushed and encircled there when the city went under the control of the Russian and allied LPR forces. According to preliminary estimates, about 2,500 Ukrainian and foreign militants might be sheltering at the plant and holding up over 1,000 civilians hostage.

Earlier this week, the Russian military offered safe exit to militants at Azov who agree to lay down arms. It also called on them to let civilians leave the plant and evacuate via a humanitarian corridor to a non-combat area in the LPR.

On Saturday, a spokesman for the LPR militia said that several Ukrainian militants exited the plant and surrendered, but did not specify their number or affiliation.