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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Russia hopes UN analyzes air strike on Luhansk administration — Churkin

Russia's Ambassador to the UN said the Russian side “keeps insisting that the UN should give a clear signal” regarding the incident

© EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT

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THE UNITED NATIONS, June 13. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia hopes that the United Nations’ report on the situation with human rights in Ukraine will provide a detailed description of the incident when the Luhansk regional administration building was shelled, Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said Thursday.

Churkin said the Russian side “keeps insisting that the UN should give a clear signal” regarding the incident. “We hope the report (by UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan) Simonovic will contain a clear picture of what happened rather than just evasive statements that they are collecting information,” he said.

“There is enough information on that topic,” the diplomat said, adding that Moscow “is attentively watching” how the incident is being investigated.

According to conclusions of a special observer mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Luhansk administration building was hit by “non-guided rockets shot from an aircraft”.

According to self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), eight people died as a result of the attack. Last week, the UN said it took notice of the OSCE experts’ conclusion but was awaiting a report of its own observers on the incident.

The UN said Thursday that a regular third report on the situation with human rights in Ukraine is due to be presented June 18. The report will cover the period from May 7 to June 7.

Churkin told an ITAR-TASS correspondent Russia received assurances from the UN that the report will contain the results of a probe into deadly riots in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on May 2.

“We were promised that it will cover Odessa. Let’s see how they keep their promise,” the diplomat said.

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Foreign policy Eastern Ukraine

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