MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. In the wake of the latest bombardments of civilian targets in Donetsk, Russia is urging the authorities in Kiev to heed the voice of reason and stop the war against its own people, the Foreign Ministry said in a commentary.

"Regrettably, tragic reports about brutal actions of the Ukrainian military resulting in casualties among civilians are coming every day," the ministry said. "Today, we received another report about shelling of civilian facilities in Donetsk - the House of Culture, a public transport stop, killing and injuring civilians."

"We are urging the authorities in Kiev to heed the voice of reason and put an end to the war against its own people. The solution of any problems should be looked for at the negotiating table and not on battlefields," the Foreign Ministry said.

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday spoke in favour of an early meeting of the Contact Group in the Belarusian capital Minsk and urged the parties to the conflict to urgently cease fire. Poroshenko and Merkel called for the dialogue in the Normandy format to be continued, along with withdrawal of heavy weapons and troops and in compliance with the disengagement line.