Ukraine conflict: Separatists 'ready to stay in Ukraine' as violence continues

Separatists to remain "integral part of Ukraine" in exchange for sweeping autonomous powers

A pro-Russian separatist guards a position near Marinka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine

Eight Ukrainian servicemen were killed fighting with Russian-backed separatists in 24 hours on Tuesday, a military spokesman said.

Seven of the soldiers were killed when their vehicle was blown up by alandmine near the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, Andriy Lisenko said at a briefing in Kiev.

The continued violence comes after separatists unveiled detailed proposals for reform of the Ukrainian constitution, in an apparent abandonment of their insistence on full independence from Kiev.

A boy rides a bicycle in front of a building (destroyed as a result of shelling) on the frontline with pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk region (AFP/Getty)

The proposals, drawn up by negotiators for the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, outline a “special status” for parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions as “an integral part of Ukraine”.

Ukrainian servicemen sit on an armoured personnel carrier near Artemivsk, roughly 50 miles (80 km) north of Donetsk (AFP/Getty)

Separatist officials nominally agreed to remain within Ukraine under theMinsk peace plan negotiated in February. Leaders have previously said reintegration with Ukraine is impossible.

Last month separatists said they were shelving the project to recreate “Novorossia”, a Tsarist-era term for a swathe of southern Ukraine that they previously said they wanted to “liberate” from Kiev.

By Roland Oliphant