Moscow, April 14 (IANS) Russia has said Western countries will bear the responsibility if the crisis in eastern Ukraine escalates.
"I believe that our Western partners will be responsible for this by 99 percent," ITAR-TASS quoted Russia's Permanent Representative at the UN Vitaly Churkin as saying at a Security Council meeting on Sunday.
Churkin urged the Ukranian authorities to desist from force against pro-Russian protestors in eastern Ukraine as this may lead to a deeper crisis.
The Russian ambassador also asked Ukraine to start a genuine dialogue.
"The Western sponsors of the Maidan protests (in central Kiev) including the US have got to dissociate themselves from the neo-Nazis and other extremists, stop using armed forces against the Ukrainian people and immediately launch a truly nationwide dialogue, with an equal participation of all regions in the interests of effecting a radical constitutional reform as soon as possible," Churkin said.
"Stop spreading yarns to the effect that we have concentrated large military forces on the border with Ukraine. It is time realise that the people in southeastern Ukraine are deeply concerned for their future and they do not want anyone, still less the unbridled national-radicals to impose their will on them," Churkin added.
However, Ukraine's UN ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev said that Russia had artificially created the crisis in eastern Ukraine and urged Moscow to "leave us in peace," BBC reported.
A deadline set by Ukraine for pro-Russian activists to leave two government buildings they had seized expired at 6 a.m (GMT) Monday.
Ukraine's Interim President Olexander Turchynov is yet to decide on making any further moves to take back the seized buildings.
A police station and a state security building were seized Saturday by armed men dressed in camouflage fatigues in Sloviansk, a town about 100 km north of regional capital Donetsk near the Russian border.
The armed men initially occupied the police station, where they seized at least 400 handguns and 20 automatic weapons.
An anti-terrorist operation was launched Sunday in Sloviansk to take back the buildings.
The pro-Russian protestors who seized the buildings opened fire at the approaching troops, killing one security officer and injuring five others.
Rro-Russian protestors took over government buildings throughout the region earlier this month.
After seizing government buildings in Ukraine's eastern city of Donetsk, the protestors proclaimed the region's independence from Kiev last week.
Russia denies responsibility for the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine.
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