OSCE urges conflicting sides in E. Ukraine to protect civilian infrastructure

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Monday called on the conflicting parties in eastern Ukraine to refrain from using force near the critical civilian infrastructure objects.

"Civilian infrastructure, especially that on which the civilian population depends, must be protected against attacks," Ertugrul Apakan, a chief monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, was quoted as saying by the OSCE press service.

All infrastructure facilities, including water supply system and electricity transmission objects, should be fully demilitarized in order to avoid severe consequences for the civilian population, Apakan emphasized.

His comments came after fighting between government troops and pro-independence insurgents has damaged public infrastructure in Avdeevka town in Donetsk region in east Ukraine, cutting basic services to some 20,000 people for several days amid winter temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius.

As of Monday morning, electricity, heating and water supplies to Avdeevka were largely restored, but five villages on the town's outskirts still remain without power.

The latest escalation of violence, which started in late January, has further aggravated the humanitarian situation in the conflict-affected areas in eastern Ukraine, where about 3.8 million civilians are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. Endit