News   /   Russia

Moscow accuses Kiev of targeting civilians, escalating clashes

Photo shows the Ukrainian soldiers in an operation against pro-Russian forces in Luhansk, January 28, 2015.

Moscow has accused Kiev of targeting residential areas in eastern Ukraine, saying Kiev is accountable for the escalation of clashes in the strife-torn region.

"The fighting that was once again provoked by Kiev leads to the unavoidable escalation and undermines international efforts to end the bloodshed," read the statement issued by Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the officials in the self-proclaimed republic of Luhansk announced that the artillery shelling of the Ukrainian army killed 16 people and injured over 100 in Luhansk on Tuesday.

Ukrainian military spokesman Leonid Matyukhin rejected Kiev’s alleged role in the deadly shelling and said that the attack was carried out to bring discredit on Ukraine’s army.

Russia’s criticism of the government in Kiev came a day after the Ukrainian parliament officially designated Russia an “aggressor state,” calling on the international community to confirm its decision.

The Ukrainian parliament also declared the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as terrorist organizations, saying Kiev will no more hold peace negotiations with the regions’ representatives.

Back in September 2014, the representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Donetsk, and Luhansk inked a ceasefire deal in the Belarusian capital Minsk. The truce has been violated almost daily by both the Ukrainian military and pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine.

The Moscow-Kiev relations have been extremely tense in recent months. Kiev and its Western allies accuse Moscow of supporting pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine, saying the Russian intervention poses a security threat to Ukraine and all other neighboring states. Russia has categorically denied the allegations.

The two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since Kiev’s military operation began in April 2014 in a bid to crush the protests.

Violence intensified in May 2014 after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine and joining the Russian Federation.

The fighting has left more than 5,100 people killed and over 1.5 million displaced, the United Nations says.

FNR/AS/MHB


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku