MOSCOW, July 08. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia hopes that the military operation in the southeast of Ukraine will be stopped, as the country sees a real humanitarian disaster, the speaker of the Russian Federation Council upper house of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, said on Tuesday.

“The number of victims runs into hundreds, this is a real humanitarian disaster,” she said, adding that the scope of the catastrophe “is growing”.

The Federation Council upper house of the Russian parliament, which is about to go into summer recess, is ready to assemble for an additional session on the situation in Ukraine if necessary, Valentina Matviyenko added.

“We are ready for (an additional) session if there is a need,” she said, adding, however, that “such scenario is not very likely”.

Earlier, the State Duma lower house did not rule out an additional plenary session over the developments in Ukraine. The final session of the upper house before recess is due on Wednesday, July 9.

She added that Russia will continue stating its opinion on the international parliamentary stage.

The current attitude of international parliamentarians towards Russia after the breakout of political crisis in Ukraine was temporary and would come to an end, she said.

Russia should not lose the opportunity "to express and explain its position to the world", she added.