Poland 'strongly condemns' Mariupol offensive
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
25.01.2015 11:07
The Polish Foreign Ministry has issued a statement condemning Saturday's attack on civilians in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol which left 30 dead.
Smoke billows from a building that caught fire after a shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, 24 January 2015. At least 30 civilians have been killed during a shelling of a suburb of the eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupo. Photo: EPA/SERGEY VAGANOV
“We strongly condemn [Saturday's] artillery shelling of residential districts in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, from the territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists, in which several dozen civilians were killed,” wrote Ministry spokesperson Marcin Wojciechowski in a statement.
Local citizens walk in front of a damaged building after a shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Photo: EPA/SERGEY VAGANOV
“It is yet another example of a flagrant breach of the ceasefire and the Minsk accord, which paved the way for de-escalating the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“Once again innocent civilians, including women and children, paid with their lives for concluded agreements not being respected,” the statement read.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has commented that the rockets originated from rebel-held areas, the BBC reported.
The Polish Ministry called for action to determine who was responsible for the shelling, and for their “exemplary punishment”.
The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, denied that his forces had conducted the attack. (rg)