UNITED NATIONS, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs shared the Secretary-General's concern over the expansion off the territory of the fighting in eastern Ukraine southward, he said at the UN Security Council.
“The southward spread of fighting, along with border with the Russian Federation and the Sea of Azov, marks a dangerous escalation in the conflict. The battle for Lugansk continues, and hostilities in Donetsk in several key strategic areas have been spreading,” Jeffrey Feltman said.
On Thursday, the militia announced that they encircled the national battalions outside the small town of Ilovaisk, 35 kilometers from Donetsk, and captured the checkpoints and strongholds of Ukrainian special forces in the outskirts of the southern town of Novoazovsk on the Sea of Azov.
The news of militia, capturing the area in the couth of the Donetsk region, overshadowed the August 26 meeting between President Putin and President Poroshenko in Minsk, as well as a round of multilateral talks, Feltman said.
"Today we have been in touch with Ambassador Apakan, the head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. He informed us that there is currently no SMM presence in Mariupol and Novoazovsk, although the OSCE is in the process of deploying a team to those areas,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for “continuity” in the “multilateral talks in Minsk on August 26, as well the first official meeting between the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia.”
After quoting this statement by Secretary General Ban, Feltman said that “the Secretary General remains committed to using his Good Offices to help resolve this crisis, and we will keep the Council informed of the collective efforts of this organization to help the Ukrainian people and government restore peace and stability to their country.”
UN Assistant Secretary General Ivan Simonovic is currently in Ukraine and is scheduled to release the UN's next report on human rights in Ukraine in Kyiv on Friday.
In mid-April, Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters in the southeast of Ukraine after they refused to recognize the legitimacy of the coup-imposed government.
According to the United Nations, more than 2,000 people have died as a result of the confrontation, and over 4,950 people have sustained injuries in the fighting.
