MOSCOW, May 16. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry deeply regrets that the report on the situation in Ukraine, published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, actually justifies the criminal punitive operation in the southeast of Ukraine, conceals casualties among peaceful civilians, makes an attempt to put the blame for the committed violations of human rights on the “pro-Russian forces,” the ministry said in a statement.

A new UN report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights monitoring team in Ukraine has pointed to the growing tendency of “violent confrontations” in the country. The report covers the period from 2 April to 6 May. It was released On May 16 in Ukraine’s Kiev and Geneva.

The report describes “an increasing tendency in some critical urban areas for rallies of opposing groups to be held simultaneously, often leading to violent confrontations.” The UN also notes that “in most cases, local police did nothing to prevent violence, while in some cases it openly cooperated with the attackers.”