Ukraine forces step up attacks in east: Lavrov
Iran Press TV
Sat Jun 21, 2014 3:54PM GMT
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow is concerned about Ukrainian forces' intensified military operations in the country's eastern regions.
Kiev has stepped up military operations despite a week-long unilateral ceasefire in the region, Lavrov said during a visit to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
"The fact that the so-called counter-terrorist military operation has intensified in parallel with the advancement of a peace plan is a cause for much alarm and concern,' Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister also said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's peace plan failed to include the key element of peace -- negotiations.
Moscow has accused Kiev of a heightened military campaign and called on its Western backers to bear responsibility for the ongoing crisis inside Ukraine.
"This responsibility should probably be implemented in the form of some concrete steps which would bring the situation back to the framework of the April 17 Geneva declaration," Lavrov said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have accused Russian protesters in the east of breaking the ceasefire.
Ukrainian border guards said one of their bases has come under pro-Russians' attack in the Donetsk region.
Fresh fighting between government forces and pro-Russia activists has left at least 9 Ukrainian soldiers wounded.
Ukraine's mainly Russian-speaking parts in the east have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in the southeastern regions in mid-April in a bid to root out the demonstrations there.
The government in Kiev says it is targeting armed protesters, but reports say many civilians have been caught in the shelling. According to the United Nations, at least 356 people, including 257 civilians, have been killed in the clashes since May 7.
GMA/AB
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