Russia calls on UN, OSCE for impartial probe of Ukraine deaths
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia has called on international organisations to ensure an “open and impartial” investigation by Kyiv into deaths during riots in the Ukrainian city of Odessa this month, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
At least 37 people in the southern Ukrainian port city died after a riot on May 2 ended with dozens of pro-Russian protesters trapped in a burning building. The incident, blamed by Moscow on Kyiv authorities and their backers in the West, was a factor in driving rebellion in the country’s south eastern regions.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appealed to representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the United Nations “with a call to guarantee an open and impartial investigation by the Kyiv authorities into the tragedy in Odessa,” a statement said.
The European Union has also called for an independent investigation into the deaths in Odessa, which Kyiv said was provoked by illegal military groups from Moldova’s breakaway region of Transdniestria and Russian groups.
(Reporting by Thomas Grove; Editing by Kevin Liffey)