UNITED NATIONS, January 25 (Sputnik) – The Saturday shelling of Mariupol, a city in the southeast of Ukraine, is likely a violation of humanitarian law, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has announced, calling on all sides of the Ukrainian conflict to restore peace and stability in the country.
According to a statement released by the United Nations Saturday, Ban Ki-moon "strongly condemns today's rocket attack on the city of Mariupol, which reportedly killed dozens of civilians and left over one hundred injured. He notes that rockets appear to have been launched indiscriminately into civilian areas, which would constitute a violation of international humanitarian law".
The UN Secretary General stressed that peace must be "urgently restored" in Ukraine as it is "intrinsically linked to that of the broader region". The United Nations also said that Ban Ki-moon is urging all relevant parties "to redouble their efforts to revive the Minsk accords".
Kiev forces have recently intensified shelling in the southeastern region of Donetsk, having officially acknowledged that a major security operation was being carried out at the Donetsk airport.
Kiev started military action in southeastern Ukraine in mid-April, 2014, in response to local residents' refusal to recognize the new government, which came to power as a result of a coup in February.
In September, the conflicting sides reached a ceasefire agreement at a meeting in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. The meeting was also attended by representatives from Russia and the OSCE.
Fighting has continue in southeastern Ukraine despite the Minsk truce.
