An office of the EU’s Advisory Mission to Ukraine was hit by Russian shelling in Mariupol, but no one working there was injured, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said Tuesday.
“Today, the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM) has obtained credible information that the premises of its Mariupol Field Office were recently hit by Russian shelling,” the EU’s top diplomat said in a statement.
While the office itself and equipment sustained “major damage,” neither members of the mission staff nor contractors were hurt, Borrell added.
The statement did not specify when the shelling occurred.
Borrell strongly condemned the attacks. “We demand Russia to cease its military offensive immediately and unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment [from] the entire territory of Ukraine,” he said.
The EU Advisory Mission to Ukraine is a civilian security mission, which was set up in 2014 to help rebuild public trust in the government in the wake of the so-called Maidan revolution, which culminated in the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych. It aims to assist Ukrainian authorities in reforming the civilian security sector, such as police forces, prosecution services and border guards. It opened an office in Mariupol in September 2020.
