Brussels, 14/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Union stressed on Tuesday 13 January that the Minsk agreement had to be strictly observed, following the deaths of ten civilians, killed in a shell or rocket attack. “The renewed intensification of gunfire and shelling in the east of Ukraine, in spite of the ceasefire in place, has resulted in the tragic deaths of ten civilians when a bus was hit by a rocket”, the spokesperson said. “A lasting ceasefire remains the key to the success of the ongoing efforts to find a lasting political solution, based on the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”, she added, stating that the EU stands ready to support all efforts to bring this about.
Regretting that the situation had “significantly deteriorated” in the previous 24 hours, including around Donetsk airport, the head of the OSCE special monitoring mission to Ukraine Ertugrul Apakan called for an “immediate ceasefire”.
Six women and four men were killed during shelling against a Ukrainian army checkpoint when a bus on the strategically important route linking the separatist bastion of Donetsk and Mariupol, which is under the control of the Ukrainian authorities, was hit. This is the most deadly attack since the 9 December truce. In addition to these ten deaths, a Ukrainian soldier and three civilians were killed in the separatist region. (CG)