U.S. blames Russia for inciting violence in Ukraine’s Mariupol

PanARMENIAN.Net - Washington has voiced support for the bloody crackdown on pro-Russian activists in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, blaming Russia for inciting the violence there. In the meantime OSCE condemned the use of force by Kyiv, RT reported.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has condemned the actions of Ukrainian military in using force against pro-federalization activists and civilians in the city of Mariupol.

“I strongly condemn the violence, and call upon all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to take immediate steps to de-escalate a situation which has caused the loss of many lives, and created a climate of fear and anxiety,” said Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan.

At the same time, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki seemingly condemned the violence too, which she immediately blamed on “pro-Russia separatists.”

As RT reported, despite clear evidence that Kyiv has used heavy armored vehicles and tanks against the civilian population, the U.S. State Department continued to blame local pro-federalization militias for the bloodshed.

Even though Washington repeatedly endorsed Kyiv's military operation in the southeast of the country, Psaki called on Moscow to act.

“Any steps Russia would be willing to take to defuse tensions in accordance with its Geneva commitments. We’ve seen their words before. What we’re waiting for is actions, and if this crisis is going to end, we need their words to be made real,” Psaki said referring to President's Putin's recent call for a direct dialogue between Kyiv and pro-Russian protesters in southeast Ukraine as a key measure to ending the crisis.

There are conflicting reports about the killed and injured, when Ukrainian military attacked the positions of self-defense squads in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the Azov Sea city, near the Russian border. Self-defense forces have managed to prevent the takeover of the city, which has been held by pro-federalization supporters for over a week.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said that about 20 so-called “terrorists” were killed and four more were taken captive, according to a statement posted on Interior Minister Arsen Avakov’s Facebook page. According to Mariupol health officials, at least 7 people have been killed and 39 injured, Ria Novosti reports.