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Ukraine calls on Russia to influence situation in Sloviansk

Ukraine’s security agencies have instituted an investigation into the incident that took place overnight to Sunday in the town of Sloviansk," he Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said

KIEV, April 20, /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has called on Russia to use its influence on the people’s volunteer corps in the town of Sloviansk in the Donetsk region to make them “vacate buildings they are illegally keeping, unblock roads, surrender arms and prevent bloodshed.”

“Ukraine’s security agencies have instituted an investigation into the incident that took place overnight to Sunday in the town of Sloviansk, which ended up in human deaths,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

“It is surprising that having no official data, the Russian Foreign Ministry was quick to issue a comment with accusations,” the ministry said.

“Such hasty conclusions mean that they are either ungrounded or made on the basis of distorted reports received from its own local agents.”

Earlier on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the armed clashes in Sloviansk, claiming that the provocation had been organized by radicals. It proves the Ukrainian authorities are not willing to disarm nationalists and extremists, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “At the night of Sunday, April 20, the Easter armistice was broken in Sloviansk. The attack of the armed militants from the so-called Right Sector claimed lives of innocent civilians… The Russian side is indignant at this provocation of the militants, which proves Kiev’s authorities are not willing to control and disarm the nationalists and extremists.”

“The Russian side should be reminded about its liabilities under the Geneva agreements and exert all possible influence on separatists to make them vacate illegally seized buildings, unblock roads, surrender arms and prevent further bloodshed,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

Overnight to Sunday, a skirmish claimed a number of lives at a block station near the town of Sloviansk. Ukraine’s Right Sector said it had nothing to do with the incident. Local police denied any special operations in the area and qualified the incident as “intended homicide.