BEIJING, July 18. /TASS/. Parties to the Ukrainian conflict should refrain from attacking civilian facilities and observe international humanitarian law, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a briefing on Tuesday.
"China thinks that relevant sides should refrain from attacking civilian facilities and infrastructure, ensure the safety of civilians and observe international humanitarian law," the diplomat said reacting to a request by a TASS correspondent to comment on the terror attack on the Crimean Bridge.
According to her. Beijing hopes that all conflicting parties "will exert efforts for the political settlement of the crisis and jointly work toward alleviating the situation."
Overnight on Monday two Ukrainian surface drones carried out a terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge, the National Antiterrorism Committee’s (NAC) information center told TASS. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on charges of a terrorist attack. Two adults were killed and one child was injured in the attack, while the bridge’s road surface was damaged.
Traffic on the bridge has been suspended since Monday morning. Rail service has already resumed and a ferry crossing is operating. Passenger vehicles will soon be able to transit to the mainland from Crimea via ferry, while trucks can transit only via a northern detour through Russia’s new regions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the incident as "another terror attack committed by the Kiev regime." He stressed that this attack made no sense from a military point of view, "because the Crimean Bridge has not been used for transit of military cargoes for a while," and brutal from a humanitarian point of view, as it claimed the lives of innocent civilians.