MOSCOW, February 22, 16:39 /ITAR-TASS/. Moscow calls on Ukraine's authorities and forces attempting to control Kiev and western Ukrainian regions for ensuring safety for civilians, including Russians, the Russian Foreign Ministry's commissioner for human rights, democracy and the rule of law, Konstantin Dolgov, told Itar-Tass on Saturday, commenting on the attack on a bus, which carried Belarusian tourists, in Ukraine's Rovno region on February. The bus driver, a citizen of the Russian Federation, was seriously wounded in the attack.
Moscow believes it is an absolute necessity and duty of Ukraine’s law-enforcement authorities and all the forces that are controlling or trying to control Kiev and the Ukrainian regions, first of all in the west, which have been swept by the wave of disorders and disturbances, to strictly comply with the international obligations to ensure protection and safety for civilian people, including Russian citizens and compatriots, Dolgov stressed. It is of principle importance also to prevent potentially extremely dangerous increase of interethnic tension in the country, he noted.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier on Saturday that Russia was outraged by the shooting incident that took place in Ukraine's Rovno region on February 21, when a bus with Belarusian tourists came under fire.
The bus with tourists from the Belarusian city of Gomel, who were on the way to the Carpathian region, came under fire opened by militants. The bus driver, a Russian citizen, was wounded. He is in heavy condition in a hospital in the Brest region. The Consulate General provides consular assistance for the wounded man.
The Foreign Ministry also thanked the Belarusian side for the care for the Russian citizen.
The wounded driver was taken to a Belarusian hospital. The tourists also returned to Belarus. Nobody among the bus passengers was hurt.
After the incident, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry made a statement, urging Belarusian citizens to postpone trips to Ukraine, first of all to Kiev and the Kiev region.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has demanded from Ukrainian law-enforcement authorities and those who are controlling or attempting to control radical forces in Ukraine to ensure safety for civilians.