UN, February 1. /TASS/. The UN Security Council expressed its deep concern over the situation in Ukraine and called on the warring parties to immediately cease fire in a communique released late Tuesday.
The UN Security Council held a closed session to discuss the issue on the Kiev government’s request Monday.
"The members of the Security Council condemned the use of weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements along the contact line in Donetsk region that lead to deaths and injuries, including among civilians," reads the document, adopted on Ukraine’s initiative.
The members of the Security Council also "expressed grave concern about the dangerous deterioration of the situation in the eastern Ukraine and its severe impact on the local civilian population" and "called for an immediate return to a ceasefire regime."
The document also expresses "full support of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" and underlines the need for strict compliance with Resolution 2202 (2015), which endorsed the "Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements".
Similar calls were earlier voiced by Russia, Brussels, the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, a number of European countries, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United States. UN Secretary general spokesman Stephane Dujarric also called for an immediage ceasefire, adding that the resumption of hostilities are a direct breach of the Minsk reconciliation accords.
In the past two days, armed clashes intensified near the town of Avdeyevka and the settlement of Yasinovataya close to the line separating the areas controlled by the Kiev government and the self-proclaimed republics of eastern Ukraine. The Kiev government blamed the eastern Ukrainian militia for the escalation of the conflict, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko claimed he had to cut short his visit to Germany, although the official program of the journey was over by that time.
However, according to the military authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Ukrainian servicemen started their offense as early as Sunday evening, but had to withdraw to their initial positions due to fierce resistance.