Russia says sharp increase in shelling in Donbass is alarming

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Moscow, Russia February 18, 2022. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Pool

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that weapons prohibited under the Minsk peace process were being used in what he called an alarming and sharp increase in shelling in eastern Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.

Addressing a news conference in Moscow, Lavrov accused the OSCE special monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine of trying to gloss over ceasefire violations by Ukrainian government forces, Interfax news agency reported.