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Russia vows to do utmost to stop bloodshed in eastern Ukraine

Xinhua, January 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Russia will spare no effort to stop bloodshed in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.

"We must do our best not to let Kiev's 'party of war', which enjoys external patronage, get the upper hand. We shall do our utmost to stop the senseless continuation of bloodshed," Tass news agency quoted Lavrov as saying at a press conference.

Calling the mortar shelling of a bus stop "a monstrous crime against humanity," the diplomat said Moscow considered the incident as a rude provocation aimed at undermining the achievement made at Wednesday's "Normandy Format" meeting of foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France.

"Obviously, the human casualties do not stop the 'party of war' in Kiev and its foreign supporters," Lavrov said in a statement released earlier by the ministry.

Lavrov demanded an immediate, objective and transparent investigation into the incident, with participation of the mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

"Everything must be done to stop Kiev from shelling the cities of eastern Ukraine and prevent a further senseless killing of civilians," Lavrov added.

Earlier in the day, the ministry's human rights envoy Konstantin Dolgov accused the Ukrainian government of nonfeasance in conducting investigation into all humanitarian crimes committed during the conflict.

At least eight civilians were killed and seven others wounded when a shell smashed into a trolleybus in the conflict-hit Donetsk at around 8.30 a.m. local time (GMT 0630) Thursday.

The regional prosecutor's office in Donetsk region blamed insurgents for being responsible for the incident, while militia denied involvement, blaming government troops for shelling the vehicle with mortars.

Fierce fighting in eastern regions between Ukrainian government troops and independence-seeking forces has killed at least 27 people, including 17 civilians, over the past day, Ukrainian authorities said earlier on Thursday. Endite