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Herald Reporter
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has issued a statement expressing his government’s shock at the Donetsk tragedy, describing the incident as a crime against humanity.

“We are shocked by the monstrous crime that has taken place in Donetsk where, on the morning of 22 January, Ukrainian soldiers fired on a bus stop, killing and wounding dozens of civilians,” reads the statement.

Russia’s chief diplomat also expressed “condolences to the families and friends of the deceased”, and wished “a speedy recovery to the wounded. We perceive this outrage as a crime against humanity and as a rude provocation aiming to undermine efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis by diplomatic methods, including initial improvements following the latest meeting of Russian, German, Ukrainian and French Ministers of Foreign Affairs in the Normandy format.”

“It is becoming obvious that the ‘party of war’ in Kiev and their foreign patrons are not deterred by fatalities. We demand a prompt investigation of the crime perpetrated in Donetsk, and we also demand that the investigation involve the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) representatives. Everything must be done to stop the shelling of cities in south-eastern Ukraine by Kiev security forces and to prevent needless civilian casualties in the future,” Lavrov said.