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Russian diplomat says depriving Donbas civilians of drinking water is Medieval war method

Moscow calls on the international community to exert influence on the Ukrainian authorities, Russian foreign ministry’s envoy for human rights, democracy and the supremacy of law says

© Gennady Khameliyanin/TASS Archive

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Russia calls on Ukraine to refrain from steps aggravating humanitarian problems in Donbas

MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. Moscow calls on the international community and human rights activists to press Kiev to have it take measures to normalize the water-supplies situation in Donbas, Konstantin Dolgov, Russian foreign ministry’s envoy for human rights, democracy and the supremacy of law, said on Tuesday.

He reminded that the last week’s report of the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) "rightly qualifies" the situation with water supplies in Donbas "as the most flagrant violation of the norms of humanitarian law, provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of December 16, 1966, Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and the Helsinki Final Act of 1992."

"We think is of paramount importance to insist Kiev stop any actions that might deteriorate the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Donbas," Dolgov stressed. "It is a cynical Medieval method of war to deprive civilians of drinking water."

"We call on the international community, including relevant human rights organizations and structures, to exert influence on the Ukrainian authorities," the Russian diplomat said.

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