MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) – The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has expressed its condolences to the families of those killed in the recent attack on a Donetsk school, calling on all parties to the Ukrainian conflict to keep children safe, in a statement published on the UNICEF website.
"UNICEF is saddened to learn that at least two children were killed and four have been injured as a result of shelling of a school sports field in Donetsk city on 5 November 2014. We at UNICEF express our deepest sympathies to the families of the children who have lost their lives or been injured," the statement, released Thursday, said.
"UNICEF reminds all parties to the conflict that they have a responsibility to keep children out of harm's way," the statement added.
According to the Russian Investigative Committee, Ukrainian forces carried out the shelling of the school in Donetsk on the command of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and the National Guard. Russian prosecutors have opened a criminal case over the incident.
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council has also launched a criminal case, blaming the Donetsk militia for carrying out the attack.
The crisis in Ukraine's southeast escalated when Kiev authorities launched a military operation against independence supporters in the region in mid-April. According to the United Nations, more than 4,000 people have been killed as a result of fighting in the region.
