Ukraine and Separatists Gather for Talks as Fighting Continues

A new round of peace talks between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists have begun even as both sides were in the midst of intense battles throughout eastern Ukraine.

Reuters reports the talks are taking place in Minsk, Belarus. These are the first talks since the outright collapse of a previous ceasefire in Sept. Although that ceasefire was agreed to by high ranking officials in both the Ukrainian and separatist camps, the soldiers on the ground were fighting with each other more often than not.

There has only been one other meeting between both sides since that ceasefire fell through in Sept. It is unclear if a recent increase in civilian casualties will help spur both sides to reach an agreement. In recent weeks a civilian bus has been hit by errant rocket fire, claiming nearly a dozen lives. On Jan. 30, a number of civilians were killed as they gathered for humanitarian aid in central Donetsk.

The Ukrainians seem to be in danger of losing control of the two provinces at the center of the conflict, according to Reuters. Ukraine claims this is because there are around 9,000 regular Russian soldiers backing up the separatists. Ukraine also says that Russia is supplying weaponry like guns, tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery.

The current fighting in the east is revolving around the municipality of Debaltseve. Outnumbered Ukrainian troops are desperately clinging onto a rail and road link in Debaltseve that can be used to shuttle men and weapons between the two largest rebel held cities of Luhansk and Donetsk.

The Russian backed forces are also threatening the crucial port city of Mariupol, which if taken by separatists would allow the resupplying of men and material from the sea.

More than 5,000 people have died since the fighting broke out in early 2014.