Russia calls for supporting ceasefire in E.Ukraine

Moscow on Wednesday urged Kiev to support the ceasefire declared by conflict-riddent Donetsk and Luhansk authorities.

"We call on Kiev to react properly to the initiative of Donetsk and Luhansk to ensure a full ceasefire in the conflict zone, to make possible the establishment of peace and stability in the region," said a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's official website.

"We are hoping that our partners in the Normandy format will support this step," according to the statement. "The Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, for its part, will provide practical assistance to the establishment of a full ceasefire."

The ministry applauded the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics for announcing "a unilateral ceasefire from 00:00 a.m. local time on Sept. 15."

The ceasefire will eventually help create peace in eastern Ukraine in accordance with the Minsk agreement agreed upon by Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany, which is aimed at facilitating a political solution to the protracted crisis in eastern Ukraine, it added. The four countries together make up the Normany format, a group of senior representatives working to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Renewed military attacks, for which the Ukrainian government troops and insurgents blame each other, raised fears that the 29-month-long conflict may escalate again after a relative calm of less than two weeks in the area.

Fighting has been underway since April 2014, with more than 9,500 people killed and some 22,000 others wounded. Endi