Russia has called on the United Nations and the Red Cross to reject an invitation from Kiev to take part in an inspection of areas in Russia’s Kursk region, some of which are partially under the control of Ukrainian forces.
“We expect that such provocative statements will not be
accepted by the addressees. This is a pure provocation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow on Monday.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry had previously stated that the Ukrainian armed forces respect the rights of the population in the occupied territory and are doing everything possible to protect the civilian population from the consequences of the fighting.
Ukraine asked for UN assistance in providing humanitarian aid, it said, calling on the Red Cross to join the mission in a letter posted on the Foreign Ministry website.