MOSCOW, May 22. /ITAR-TASS/. There were victims among civilians as a result of firing at the area of Sloviansk, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.

Kiev had not stopped, but consistently stepped up the punitive operation against own people, regularly shelling towns and villages in the east of the country, even from heavy guns, the diplomat noted. The last example is mortar fire at several residential sites in the area of Sloviansk.

"As it has become known just now, there are victims among civilians," the diplomat said.