VIENNA, February 3, /TASS/. Parties to the armed civil conflict in eastern Ukrain should stop combat actions, stay committed to the Minsk accords, and assure security of local population, OSCE Secretary General Lambertio Zannier said in a statement on Friday.

"The use of indiscriminate force in densely populated areas in eastern Ukraine is unacceptable," he said. "It must stop immediately and the sides need to cease-fire now."

"Civilians, as usual, are bearing the brunt of this latest fighting," Zannier went on. "On top of the civilian deaths and injuries, thousands more civilians are trapped in the area without food and heating."

"I call on the sides to consider the fate of the trapped civilians and to prioritise their safety," he said. "They must stop the fighting now and fully respect the ceasefire and the Minsk agreements."

He criticized the parties to the conflict for an impressive surge of violence in the zones of the armed conflict in Donbass, saying: "No cause justifies sacrificing lives of civilians. It must stop. I call on all sides to ensure the protection of civilians and vital infrastructure, and to stabilise the situation."