MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. The Russian foreign ministry said on Friday that it had invited Colombian Ambassador Hector Arenas Neira to Russia following Bogota’s statement about three Colombian nationals who were wounded in Kramatorsk.
"On June 30, Colombian Ambassador to Moscow Hector Arenas Neira was invited to the Russian foreign ministry, which provided explanations in connection with the Colombian leadership’s statement about three citizens of that country who were wounded in Kramatorsk," the ministry said. "The ambassador’s attention was drawn to the need to advise Colombian nationals not to visit territories located in the zone of combat operations."
The ministry stressed that the target of Russia’s strike was a temporary command post of the Ukrainian 56th motorized rifle brigade. "The Colombian nationals were in a restaurant housed in the same building at the moment of the strike," the ministry said. "According to our information, they knew that they were in the exact vicinity of the combat engagement line in the zone of Russia’s special military operation and were aware of the risks associated with this. We wish the Colombian nationals the soonest recovery and return to a safe place."
The ministry stressed that the lives of all people matter and recalled the thousands of civilians who have been killed or wounded in Donbass since 2014. The ministry also pointed to the fact that the Ukrainian military deliberately deploys weapons at civilian facilities and uses the civilian population as a human shield, and that Ukrainian troops are staging acts of sabotage and terrorist attacks on Russian territory. "We expressed regret that no reaction from the Colombian leadership has ever been given to these things," the ministry added.